AND 

PSYCHICAL  UNFOLDMENT 


ByE.W  and  M.H.WALLIS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


i 


https://archive.org/details/guidetomediumshi01wall 


) . 


-?5 


/ 


A  GUIDE  TO  MEDIUMSHIP 

MD  PSYCHICAL  UNFOLDMENT 

BY 

E.  W.  AND  M.  H.  WALLIS 


3ln  utym  $orta 

PART  I.— Mediumship  Explained 
PART  II. — How  to  Develop  Mediumship 
PART  III. — Psychical  Powers:  How  to  Cultivate  them 


*/  could  as  soon  doubt  the  existence  of  the  sun  ws 
doubt  the  fact  of  my  holding  communion  . 
with  my  darting  daughter.  I  thank 
Qod  daily  for  the  privilege.’ 

— REV.  Thos.  GbeenbubH 

THE  PROGRESSIVE  THINKER 
THE  PROGRESSIVE  THINKER  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 
106  LOOMIS  ST.,  CHICAGO,  ILLS. 


Do  we  indeed  desire  the  dead 

Should  still  be  near  us  at  our  side? 

Is  there  no  baseness  we  would  hide  ? 

No  inner  vileness  that  we  dread  ? 

Shall  he  for  whose  applause  I  strove, — 

I  had  such  reverence  for  his  blame, — 

See  with  .clear  eye  some  hidden  shame, 
And  I  be  lessened  in  his  love? 

I  wrong  the  dead  with  fears  untrue ; 

Shall  love  be  blamed  for  want  of  faith  ? 
There  must  be  wisdom  with  great  Death : 
The  dead  shall  look  me  through  and  through. 

Be  near  us  when  we  climb  or  fall ; 

Ye  watch,  like  God,  the  rolling  hours 
With  larger  other  eyes  than  ours, 

To  make  allowance  for  us  all. 


Tennyson. 


PREFACE. 


Having  been  frequently  asked,  during  the  last  twenty- 
five  years,  for  information  and  advice  concerning  Medium- 
ship  and  its  Development,  we  have  constantly  felt  the 
want  of  a  suitable  handbook  which  we  could  recommend 
to  inquirers  and  to  those  who  were  developing  their  own 
mediumistic  powers,  or  assisting  in  the  development  of 
others.  As  this  need  has  grown  more  and  more  pressing 
with  the  increasing  number  of  investigators  into  Spirit¬ 
ualism,  we  have  endeavored  to  produce  a  clear,  practical, 
and  serviceable  ‘Guide,’  embodying  the  most  comprehen¬ 
sive  explanations  and  the  best  counsel  that  we  are  able 
to  give,  derived  from  our  own  experiences  and  inspira¬ 
tions,  and  from  those  of  other  writers,  both  English  and 
American. 

We  have  found  it  advisable  to  divide  this  ‘Guide’  into 
three  distinct  parts,  and,  although  this  arrangement  has 
compelled  us  to  present  matters  from  different  points  of 
view,  we  feel  assured  that  our  readers  will  recognize  the 
advantages  that  have  been  gained  by  the  separate  con¬ 
sideration  of  the  many  problems  involved. 

Commending  this  work  to  the  kindly  consideration  of 
Spiritualists,  and  to  the  thoughtful  study  of  inquirers, 
we  send  it  forth  to  the  world,  with,  we  trust,  the  blessings 
of  the  angels,  in  the  hope  that  it  may  prove  helpful  to 
many  of  our  brothers  and  sisters  who  are  seeking  for 
‘Light,  more  Light.’ 


E.  W.  and  M.  H.  Wallis. 


PART  I. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  P  Af}B 

•  I. — The  Sacred  Office  of  Mediumship  ....  5 

II. — What  is  Mediumship? . 10 

III. — The  Effects  of  Mediumship . 26 

IV.  — The  Phenomena  of  Mediumship  ...  #  32 


V.  — The  Difficulties  and  Delights  of  Mediumship  .  37 

VI.  — The  Different  Phases  of  Mediumship  ...  49 

VII. — Psychical  Susceptibility  and  Mediumship  .  .  65 

VIII. — Biblical  and  Modern  Mediumship  .....  'il 


PART  I. 


MEDIUMSHIP  EXPLAINED. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  SACRED  OFFICE  OF  MEDIUMSHIP. 

I  do  not  know  of  any  other  subject  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  that  can  for  one  moment  compare  with  it  (psychical 
investigation)  in  importance.  On  the  turning  of  this  in¬ 
vestigation  depends  the  opinion  which  the  intelligent 
world  is  to  hold  in  the  future  as  to  the  nature  and  destiny 
of  man. — Rev.  Minot  J.  Savage. 

What  if  what  we  call  death  is  only  the  passing  out 
of  a  spirit-self  to  a  more  refined  or  in  some  way  entirely 
different  etheric  movement? — in  which  case  a  spirit  might 
be  perfectly  well  able  to  pass  through  what  we  call  solid 
Matter,  and  live  its  own  free  and  glorious  life,  on  its  ap¬ 
propriate  plane,  rid  of  ‘this  muddy  vesture  of  decay.’ 
An  inspiring  thought!  An  enchanting  hope! — J.  Page 
Hopps. 

Through  the  gateway  of  mediumship  for  upwards  of 
fifty  years  the  world  has  been  catching  glimpses  of  the 
glory  of  the  land  immortal,  and  visitants  from  that  ‘bourne’ 
whence  it  was  erroneously  said  that  ‘no  traveler  returns’ 
have  made  their  presence  known  beyond  all  doubt  or  de¬ 
nial,  thus  proving  the  continued  conscious  existence  of 
human  beings  and  the  sequential  character  of  the  life 
hereafter. 

Though  the  messages  from  the  unseen  have  at  timed 
been  imperfect  and  fragmentary,  still  they  have  been  mes- 


6 


4.  Guide  to  Mediumship 


sages.  If  but  telegraphic  despatches,  so  to  speak,  instead 
of  voluminous  letters;  or  like  telephonic  snatches  of  con¬ 
versation  rather  than  face-to-face  outpourings  of  thought 
and  feeling,  still  they  have  been  greetings  and  comforting 
assurances  of  undying  affection  from  the  people  living 
in  the  land  ‘beyond  the  veil.’ 

Although  many  a  sorrowing  soul  has  longed  for  further 
revelation,  and  regretted  the  inability  of  the  spirits  to 
comply  with  the  requests  for  fuller  information,  still,  the 
gates  have  been  ajar,  and  sometimes  it  has  truly  seemed 
as  though  they  had  been  flung  wide  open — so  clear  and 
consoling  were  the  messages  from  the  loved  ones  on  the 
other  side  of  death’s  valley  of  shadow. 

The  manifestations  of  the  presence  of  spirits  and  the 
evidences  of  their  identity,  which  have  been  accumulating 
during  all  these  years,  have  solved  the  ‘great  secret,’  and 
we  know  that  death  is  not  a  cul-de-sac,  but  a  thorough¬ 
fare.  The  dread  of  death  disappeared  altogether  with  the 
mists  of  ignorance,  as,  through  the  gateway  of  medium- 
ship,  the  shining  presence  of  ministering  spirits,  ‘our  very 
own  dear  departed,’  illumined  the  pathway  which  we  must 
all  tread  to  our  great  promotion. 

THE  STONE  ROLLED  AWAY. 

‘Immortality  demonstrated  through  mediumship’ 
should  be  inscribed  upon  the  banner  of  Spiritualism,  for 
the  fact  of  life  beyond  the  incident  of  death  has  been 
proved  beyond  all  peradventure  to  millions  of  intelligent 
and  enlightened  people  since  the  new  spiritual  era  was 
inaugurated.  To  mediums — the  modern  mediators — 
therefore,  belong  the  office  and  the  honor  of  rolling  back 
the  stone  from  the  tomb  and  establishing  faith  upon  the 
firm  basis  of  the  knowledge  (scientifically  ascertained  and 
proven)  of  the  continued  intelligent  existence  in  the  spir¬ 
itual  realm  of  those  who  went  forth  through  the  death 
change  into  light  and  liberty  ‘over  there.’ 

Mediums,  as  intermediaries,  have  enabled  spirit  people 
to  comfort  the  sad  and  encourage  the  weak;  to  relieve  the 
doubter  and  console  the  bereaved ;  to  confirm  the  old-world 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


7 


traditions  regarding  bygone  spirit  intervention  and  rev¬ 
elation,  and  supplement  our  hopes  and  intuitions  with 
proof  palpable. 

Present-day  experiences  of  inspiration  and  spirit  man¬ 
ifestation  make  credible  and  acceptable  many  things  in 
ancient  records  which  must  otherwise  have  been  discarded 
as  superstitious  and  false.  Spiritualism  redeems  the  so- 
called  ‘supernatural’  and  ‘miraculous’  occurrences  of  the 
Bible,  by  explaining  them  and  proving  their  naturalness. 
The  capability  claimed  for  old-time  seers  and  prophets  to 
see  angels  and  hear  voices  is  now  known  to  be  a  natural 
faculty,  which,  in  certain  people,  is  perfectly  normal,  while 
it  can  be  induced  in  others  by  the  influence  of  operators 
in  or  out  of  the  body.  It  can  also  be  cultivated  to  some 
degree  by  most  people  who  care  to  study  the  subject  and 
provide  the  necessary  conditions  for  its  development  and 
exercise. 

The  famine,  ‘not  of  bread,  nor  of  water,  but  of  hearing 
words  from  the  Lord,’  and  the  loss  of  the  ‘open  vision’  of 
the  spirit,  which  afflicted  Christendom  for  so  many  years 
(because  of  the  blind  intolerance  of  zealots  •who,  in  their 
adherence  to  the  ‘letter,’  crushed  out  the  sensitives 
through  whom  the  ‘spirit’  might  have  been  revealed),  that 
famine  is  rapidly  passing  away,  and  we  are  being  fed  with 
the  living  bread  of  spiritual  inspiration,  and  are  grow¬ 
ing  strong  enough  to  welcome  the  messengers  who  come 
to  us  through  the  gateway  of  mediumship  from  their  after¬ 
death  home. 


THE  JOY  OF  KNOWLEDGE. 

The  intense  joy  which  results  from  the  complete  real¬ 
ization  of  the  actual  presence  and  identity  of  the  so-called 
dead ;  of  their  independent  activity ;  of  their  unchanged 
nature  and  affection — that  they  are  truly  alive,  thinking, 
remembering,  loving,  and  happy — that  they  are  just  them¬ 
selves — must  be  experienced  to  be  understood.  Let  ideal¬ 
ists,  intuitionalists,  and  transcendentalists  talk  as  they 
may  about  the  superiority  of  those  whose  inner  conscious¬ 
ness  or  philosophical  attainments  enable  them  to  believe 


8 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


without  such  evidences,  yet  even  they  themselves  are  thrilled 
and  delighted  when  they  receive  actual  and  satisfactory 
demonstrations  of  the  personal  survival  of  their  own  loved 
ones;  and  we  know  of  no  means  whereby  such  evidences 
can  be  obtained  save  through  mediumship. 

When  once  the  conviction  has  been  driven  home,  and 
the  truth  of  spirit  ministry  has  been  realized,  nothing  can 
destroy  it. 

The  Spiritualist  stands  upon  firm  ground — the  im¬ 
pregnable  rock  of  ascertained  fact.  He  knows  that  in¬ 
tercourse  between  the  two  worlds  is  real,  continuous ;  there¬ 
fore  he  is  proof  against  all  speculations,  denunciations,  and 
adverse  theories.  Dogmatic  condemnations,  ‘bogey’  cries, 
charges  of  fraud  against  mediums,  fail  to  move  or  frighten 
him.  He  can  ‘speak  what  he  knows  and  testify  to  what  he 
has  seen’;  his  positive  and  affirmative  experience  and  testi¬ 
mony  outweigh  all  the  opposition  of  ‘doubting  Thomases’ 
who  do  not  know. 

PATIENCE  AND  PERSEVERANCE  REWARDED. 

Through  the  gateway  of  mediumship  the  spirits  make 
themselves  known  in  a  variety  of  ways.  There  are  many 
phases  of  mediumistic  phenomena,  and  the  student  will 
find  that  he  must  be  patient,  painstaking,  and  persevering 
if  he  would  make  sure  of  his  facts.  Careful  investigation, 
possibly  prolonged  research,  under  many  difficulties  and 
with  many  discouragements,  will  be  required;  but  ‘success 
is  certain  if  energy  fail  not,’  and  the  results  will  ade¬ 
quately  recompense  him  for  all  sacrifice  and  struggle !  For 
in  the  light  of  the  demonstrated  fact  of  continued  conscious 
existence  after  death,  it  is  clear  that  man  is  even  now  ‘a 
spirit  served  by  organs’ — that  consequently  the  basis  of  all 
religious  experience  and  affirmation  is  the  spiritual  con¬ 
sciousness  of  mankind.  There  could  be  no  revelation  to 
man  of  spiritual  truth  or  moral  duty  if  he  were  not  a  spirit 
possessing  the  capabilities  of  receiving  and  comprehending, 
of  interpreting  and  applying,  the  revelations  and  inspira¬ 
tions  which  appeal  to  and  quicken  the  inner  (and  higher) 
self. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


9 


Spiritualism  is  the  science,  philosophy,  and  religion  of 
Life.  As  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Haweis  has  truly  said:  “It  leads 
us  to  the  centre  and  source  of  life ;  it  reveals  to  us  the 
bright  galaxy  of  ministering  spirits,  the  Jacob’s  ladder 
which  reaches  from  earth  to  Heaven,  and  upon  which  the 
angels  of  God  are  ascending  and  descending.  Spiritualism 
has  told  us  of  the  remedial  world  beyond.  It  points  us  to 
life,  not  death,  for 

“  ’Tis  life  not  death  for  which  we  pant; 

’Tis  life  of  which  our  nerves  are  scant, 

More  life  and  fuller  that  we  want.” 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Temple  of  the  Spirit,  rejected 
by  the  literalists,  must  be  again  placed  in  position,  and 
‘spiritual  gifts’  must  be  coveted  and  cultivated.  Then 
the  gates  may  be  more  fully  opened  and  the  angels  freely 
come  through  to  proclaim  the  glad  tidings  of  life  con¬ 
tinuous,  progressive,  and  joyous  here  and  hereafter;  and 
so  the  worship  of  God  may  find  expression  in  the  loving 
service  rendered  by  man  to  man  in  both  worlds. 


16 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


CHAPTER  II. 

WHAT  IS  MEDIUMSHIP  ? 

There  is  an  unseen  cord  which  binds 
The  whole  wide  world  together ; 

Through  every  human  life  it  winds — 

This  one  mysterious  tether. 

There  are  no  separate  lives;  the  chain, 

Too  subtle  for  our  seeing, 

Unites  us  all  upon  the  plane 
Of  universal  being. 

Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox. 

Positive  observation  proves  the  existence  of  a  psychic 
world  as  real  to  us  as  the  world  known  to  us  by  our  phys¬ 
ical  senses.— Camille  Flam  Marion. 

The  fundamental  laws  of  life  are  those  of  attraction 
and  repulsion,  and  where  psychic  spheres  can  be  attuned, 
and  vibrate  in  harmony,  community  of  sensation  can  be 
established  and  thought  can  be  transmitted  from  mind  to 
mind,  wdiether  the  transference  occurs  between  two  per¬ 
sons  upon  this  plane  of  existence  or  between  a  sensitive 
medium  and  an  excarnate  spirit. 

"No  one  is  or  can  be  wholly  independent.  We  inevit¬ 
ably  attract  congenial  unseen  influences,  and  become  re¬ 
lated  to  people  in  or  out  of  the  body,  acting  upon  them 
psychically  and  in  turn  responding  to  their  thougths  and 
influence.  Action  and  re-action  are  constantly  going  on 
in  this  way;  we  may  co-operate — dominate  or  be  domin¬ 
ated — quite  unconsciously,  but  the  interaction  is  taking 
place  all  the  same.  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  that  w» 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


11 


should  be  aware  of  the  fact,  that  we  may  take  steps  to 
guard  ourselves  against  the  intrusion  into  our  thought-life 
of  injurious  influences,  and  at  the  same  time  determine 
to  become  factors  for  good  by  the  intelligent  exercise  of 
our  influence  over  others.  There  must  be  a  reason  why 
in  our  relationship  with  each  other  we  establish  certain 
instantaneous  sympathetic  conditions,  and  are  attracted 
to  and  harmonize  with  certain  individuals,  while  others 
are  repugnant  and  distasteful  to  us.  These  conditions  do 
uot  always  last,  nor  is  it  well  that  they  should.  At  times 
we  may  be  closely  drawn  to  certain  persons  and  be  re¬ 
pelled  by  them  at  other  stages  in  our  career. 

VIBRATIONS. 

All  our  sensations  are  due  to  the  impact  upon  our 
sense-organs  of  vibrations  in  some  form.  Variations  in 
the  strength  and  rapidity  of  these  vibrations  constitute 
the  difference  in  our  perceptions.  Our  range  of  response 
it  but  a  limited  one.  Some  vibrations  are  too  rapid  and 
some  too  slow  to  affect  our  senses,  and  therefore  we  have 
"called  to  our  aid  various  mechanical  contrivances  which 
enable  us  to  recognize  existences  which  would  otherwise 
remain  unknown.  But  it  is  still  conceivable  that  there 
may  be,  and  doubtless  are,  conditions  of  the  vibratory 
energy  that  escape  us,  and  which,  if  we  could  develop 
finer  senses,  would  yield  wonderful  results  and  extensions 
of  our  power  and  knowledge.  In  psychic  science,  or  by 
spiritual  unfoldment,  we  are  coming  into  relation  with 
forces,  possibilities,  and  personalities  which  amount  to  a 
revelation  of  the  spiritual  universe.  As  the  Rev.  J.  Page 
Hopps  very  beautifully  puts  it:  ‘It  is  indeed  true  that 
“things  are  not  what  they  seem”;  but  everything  is  what 
it  seems  to  be  only  because  of  its  plane  of  being,  and  that 
is  determined  by  its  vibrations.  On  one  plane  there  is  a 
certain  vibratory  value  or  speed:  on  another  plane,  a  dif¬ 
ferent  one :  but  a  plane  is  not  a  place  but  a  state :  so  that 
two  utterly  different  planes  of  being  might  co-exist  in  the 
same  place  and  be  entirely  unknown  to  one  another.  That 
seems  absurd,  but  it  is  a  scientific  truth,  and  many  author- 


12 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


ities  have  endorsed  it,  notably  Jevons,  who,  in  his  “Prin¬ 
ciples  of  Science,”  says:  “There  may  be,  right  here  and 
now,  passing  through  us  and  this  world,  some  planet  in¬ 
visible  to  us,  with  mountains,  oceans,  lakes,  rivers,  cities, 
and  inhabitants”:  and  we  not  know  anything  of  it  all. 
What  a  suggestion  there  is  in  that  as  to  the  difference  be¬ 
tween  a  spirit  embodied  and  a  spirit  disembodied!’ 

AURIC  EMANATIONS  REAL. 

It  is  now  an  established  fact  that  not  only  are  flowers 
surrounded  by  invisible  perfume,  and  other  objects  by  an 
atmosphere  charged  with  unseen  exhalations  which  may 
be  beneficial  or  inimical  to  the  health  of  human  beings, 
but  that  men  and  Avomen  are  constantly  emitting,  and 
surrounded  by,  an  auric  sphere  which  is  not  only  charged 
with  their  physical  magnetic  conditions,  but  registers  the 
quality  of  their  thoughtlife  and  moral  states.  ‘In  this 
aura,  as  in  a  mirror,  the  sensitive  sees  reflected  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  object,  its  significance  in  connection  with  the 
emotions  and  such  other  associations  with  the  personali¬ 
ties  of  its  possessors — of  the  life  and  experience  of  which 
it  formed  a  part — as  he  may  bring  himself  en  rapport 
with.  All  this  is  not  only  perceived  objectively,  but  is 
also  “sensed”  subjectively.  The  sensitive  seems  to  merge 
his  own  personality  in  the  aura  of  the  object,  and  in  his 
own  person  feels  the  pains  and  pleasures  he  describes.’* 

THE  INTERVENING  ETHER. 

It  is  manifest  that  if  an  operator,  by  the  concentration 
of  his  mental  energies,  can  project  his  thought  upon 
another  individual  who  is  thereafter  able  to  reproduce 
the  picture  of  the  words  thus  thought  of,  there  must  be 
some  medium  of  communication  between  the  two.  Hud¬ 
son  Tuttle  well  says :  ‘  Whatever  the  influence  may  be,  it 
must  pass  across  greater,  or  less  distances  to  produce  the 
effects  observed.  It  cannot  be  transmitted  across  a  void. 
It.  must  have  its  own  means  of  conduction.’  If  a  sensitive 

*  ‘The  Sixth  Sense.’  Ry  Pan!  Tyner. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


13 


can,  as  Mr.  Tyner  affirms,  and  our  own  experience  proves, 
bring  himself,  or  be  brought,  en  rapport  with  people, 
places,  or  things  to  the  extent  of  merging  himself  for  the 
time  being  into,  and  becoming  identified  with,  them,  there 
must  be  some  subtle  force  or  agency  which  makes  such 
experiences  possible.  To  quote  Hudson  Tuttle  again : 
‘Admitting  the  facts  of  impressibility,  the  existence  of  a 
spirit-ether,  universal,  and  all  permeating,  if  not  demon¬ 
strated,  is  a  theory  towards  which  all  related  facts  gather 
in  cumulative  evidence.  Here  we  arrive  at  the  philosophy 
of  ail  psychological  influence,  whether  received  under  the 
name  of  hypnotism,  mental  influence,  or  spiritual  impres¬ 
sion.  One  law  underlies  and  ramifies  through  all  these 
diversified  effects.  ’ 

TELEPATHY  AND  SIR  W.  CROOKES. 

Sir  Wm.  Crookes,  in  his  Presidential  Address  to  the 
British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  said : 
‘If  telepathy  takes  place  we  have  two  physical  facts — the 
physical  change  in  the  brain  of  A,  the  suggester,  and  the 
analogous  change  in  the  brain  of  B,  the  recipient  of  the 
suggestion.  Between  these  two  physical  events  there  must 
exist  a  train  of  physical  causes.’  Sir  William  argued 
that  the  connecting  series  of  intermediate  causes  can  only 
occur  through  an  intervening  medium,  and  he  claimed 
that  ‘with  every  fresh  advance  of  knowledge  it  is  shown 
that  ether  vibrations  have  powers  and  attributes  abund¬ 
antly  equal  to  any  demand — even  to  the  transmission  of 
thought.  ’ 

Granting  that  such  telepathic  transference  is  scienti¬ 
fically  demonstrated,  it  is  assuredly  a  spiritual  manifesta¬ 
tion — one  embodied  spirit  communicating  with  another; 
and  if  embodied  spirits  have  this  power,  why  not  the 
so-called  disembodied  also? 

‘natural  laws’  \re  not  intelligent  entities. 

Paul  Tyner  points  out  the  important  fact  that  ‘Neither 
a  universal  ether,  constant  and  pervading  all  space,  nor  a 
rare  effluence,  existing  as  an  attribute  of  living,  sentient 


14 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


beings,  will  alone  account  for  tnought-transference,  clair¬ 
voyance,  psyeliometry,  or  hypnotism — to  use  many  names 
for  the  one_  process  of  psychic  perception.  As  has  been 
shown,  this  perception  depends,  more  than  aught  else,  on 
that  degree  of  rapport  which  we  can  only  designate  by  the 
entirely  inadequate  term,  “community  of  sensation.”  It 
is  plain  that  these  phenomena  depend  absolutely  on  both 
the  universal  ether,  as  a  medium,  and  the  emanation  from 
sentient,  living  beings  as  a  force,  working  upon  that  me¬ 
dium — as  the  painter  works  in  colors  or  the  sculptor  in 
stone.’  But,  as  neither  ‘natural  laws’  nor  ‘natural  forces’ 
can  exercise  volition  or  display  purpose,  and  this  ‘com¬ 
munity  of  sensation’  can  only  be  experienced  by  living, 
conscious  and  intelligent  beings,  thought-transference  by 
means  of  the  vibratory  medium  or  ether  is  only  possible 
between  two  such  individuals. 

A  VAST  WHISPERING  GALLERY. 

Dr.  J.  M.  Pebles,  the  venerable  ‘spiritual  pilgrim.’ 
says:  ‘The  universe  is  not  dead.  Every  atom  is  afire  with 
life.  Inspiration  is  as  eternal  as  the  stars.  Trances  are 
in  perfect  harmony  with  psychic  law.  God  is  everywhere 
from  sand  to  stars,  to  the  suns  that  dot  the  immensities ; 
and  angels  would  speak  as  readily  to  God’s  living  Ameri¬ 
cans  as  to  His  ancient  Hebrews  if  the  proper  conditions 
were  given  them.  Open  the  doors  of  your  souls,  O  mor¬ 
tals,  and  invite  the  good  angels  in ;  invite  your  loved  ones, 
peopling  the  higher  spheres,  to  come  with  their  olive-leaf 
messages  of  love  and  truth  and  wisdom.  The  universe  is 
one.  Conscious  spirt  is  infinite,  and  if.  as  science  teaches, 
every  undulating  wave  in  its  rhythmic  motion  impinges 
upon  every  other  wave  in  the  vast,  all-embracing  sea  of 
universal  life,  w'ho  can  set  limits  to  the  bounds  of  thought, 
or  will,  or  spirit  influence,  either  within  or  without  the 
mortal  body?  Believed  or  not,  this  peerless  universe  is 
one  grand  whispering  gallery,  and  we  are  surrounded,  as 
the  apostle  taught,  by  a  great  “cloud  of  witnesses” — num¬ 
berless  multitudes — who  delight  under  proper  conditions 
to  converse  with  earth’s  foot- weary  travelers,  by  impres- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


15 


sion,  inspiration,  premonition,  and  .vision.  Precious  fact, 
proving  the  perpetuity  of  intelligence,  of  love,  and  of  law, 
beyond  death’s  portal!’ 

SPIRIT,  SOUL  AND  BODY. 

The  spirit  is  connected  with  the  body  by  means  of  the 
soul,  or  psychical  body,  which  in  turn  affects  the  brain, 
the  nerves  and  muscles  of  the  outer  body,  through  the 
agency  of  which  it  expresses  itself,  and  the  quality  and 
extent  of  such  expression  will  depend  upon  the  degree  of 
responsiveness  and  psychic  development  in  the  individual 
concerned. 

‘For  of  the  soule  the  bodie  forme  doth  take; 

For  soule  is  forme,  and  doth  the  bodie  make.’ 

Some  people  may,  and  probably  will,  be  conscious  that 
they  are  sepulchered  in  the  flesh,  the  spirit  being  so  deeply 
immured  within  the  body  that  it  is  well-nigh  helpless  and 
but  dimly  aware  of  its  possibilities  and  destiny.  Others 
will  realize  more  or  less  fully  that  they  can  use  the  body, 
master  and  control  it,  instead  of  being  its  slave. 

Most  people  possess  the  faculty  of  sight,  but  all  do  not 
see  alike.  Some  are  color  blind;  some  have  clearer  sight 
than  others.  We  are  apt  to  imagine  that  because  trees, 
houses,  and  other  objects  present  a  certain  appearance  to 
us  they  will  appear  exactly  the  same  to  those  around  us. 
On  general  lines  they  do,  but  undoubtedly  different  people 
are  differently  affected  and  perceive  differently.  Some 
people  have  innate  artistic  powers,  and  although  everyone 
with  patience  and  endeavor  may  develop  something  of 
the  artistic  nature,  all  cannot  be  past  masters  in  artistic 
expression.  Some  have  a  natural  gift  for  mechanics,  some 
for  music,  some  for  oratory,  others  for  song ;  in  others 
these  gifts  can  be  induced  to  a  limited  extent,  and  again 
in  others  while  the  reasoning  faculties  may  be  active  the 
artistic  nature  may  be  dormant.  Man’s  spiritual  possi¬ 
bilities  are  no  exception.  Some  people  exercise  their 
psychic  powers  naturally  and  freely,  in  others  the  activity 


16 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


of  the  spiritual  perceptions  can  be  cultivated  or  induced, 
while  the  remaining  class  have  little  or  no  knowledge  of 
the  existence  of  their  powers,  or  of  how  to  develop  them. 


MESMERISM  A  STEPPING  STONE  TO  SPIRITUALISM. 

Mesmerism  demonstrates  that  certain  persons  are  nat¬ 
urally  sensitive  and  susceptible  to  positive  mental  forces. 
Under  the  new  name  of  hypnotism  most  of  the  claims  that 
were  made  by  the  early  mesmeric  practitioners  which  were 
then  derided  as  unscientific  are  now  put  forward  and 
readily  accepted  as  true.  Some  difference  of  opinion 
exjsts  as  to  whether  all  the  phenomena  are  due  to  ‘sug¬ 
gestion,’  or  whether  there  is  any  ‘fluid’  or  ‘force’  or 
‘human  magnetism’  employed  and  passing  from  the  oper¬ 
ator  to  his  subject.  Magnetism  may  not  be  the  proper 
name  to  use,  but  the  consensus  of  opinion  seems  to  be 
growing  more  and  more  favorable  to  the  theory  that  a 
vital^  psychic  force  does  exist  and  is  utilized  for  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  some,  at  least,  of  the  phenomena  which  are  as¬ 
sociated  with  the  practice  of  mesmerism. 

When  a  sensitive  is  thrown  into  the  sleep  state  by  a 
mesmerist  the  ‘community  of  sensation’  already  referred 
to  is  frequently  observed  between  them.  The  subject 
tastes,  thinks,  feels,  and  sees  as  does  the  operator,  or  as 
he  determines.  In  certain  states  the  subject  is  deaf  to 
every  other  voice  but  that  of  the  mesmerist.  In  other 
I  stages,  in  the  deep  magnetic  trance,  the  subject  becomes 
I  clairvoyant,  travels  in  spirit,  and  reports  what  is  transpir¬ 
ing  at  the  time  many  miles  away,  or  will  see  and  describe 
the  conditions  of  the  internal  organs  of  a  person  to  whom 
he  is  sympathetically  related  by  the  operator — and  such 
a  diagnosis  is  generally  most  accurate.  In  some  cases  doc¬ 
tors  have  been  wrong  and  the  mesmerised  clairvoyant 
right.  A  remarkable  fact  is  well  worthy  of  notice  here. 
Some  mesmerised  subjects  have  spontaneously  seen  and 
described  persons  long  since  dead,  and  entirely  unknown 
to  them  in  their  normal  condition.  They  have  insisted 
on  the  fact  that  such  persons  were  alive  and  not  dead. 


A  Guide  to  Mediuniship 


17 


SPIRITS  INTERVENE. 

Some  skilful  mesmerists  have  found  that  they  have 
lost  the  control  of  their  subjects — that  a  stronger  will  than 
theirs  has  been  brought  to  bear  upon  the  sensitive.  Upon 
investigation  they  have  been  compelled  to  recognize  the 
presence  and  operation  of  a  spirit  mesmerist,  and  in  some 
instances  clear  and  unmistakable  evidences  of  the  identity 
of  the  spirit  have  been  given,  and  in  this  way  not  a  few 
mesmerists  have  been  driven  to  admit  spirit  return — as  it 
is  often  called— and  thus  mesmerism  has  been  in  fact  a 
veritable  stepping-stone  to  Spiritualism,  as  it  is  also  in  the 
philosophic  explanation  of  the  means  by  which  intercourse 
between  the  two  planes  of  existence  is  possible. 

To  discredit  Spiritualism,  it  is  now  the  fashion  with 
some  people  to  admit  mesmerism,  clairvoyance,  and 
thought-reading. 

‘Trance  mediumship  is  only  mesmerism,  and  does  not 
need  any  spirits  to  account  for  it,’  is  the  assertion  made 
by  those  who  oppose  us. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  ask  in  reply,  ‘Who  mesmerises 
the  medium?’  In  mesmerism  an  operator  and  a  subject 
are  necessary.  Why  may  not  a  deceased  mesmerist  affect 
his  subject  by  his  magnetic  power  as  he  used  to  do  before 
he  passed  on,  and  transfer  his  thoughts  to  his  medium? 
As  no  visible  mesmerist  affects  the  medium,  the  inference 
is  that  he  is  mesmerized  by  an  unseen  operator;  and  when, 
as  it  frequently  does,  as  is  abundantly  proved  by  the  tes¬ 
timonies  of  earnest  investigators,  the  intelligence  displayed 
surpasses  the  normal  abilities  of  the  medium,  and  gives 
corroborative  proofs  of  identity  with  some  person  once  liv¬ 
ing  on  earth,  a  clear  case  is  made  out  that  ‘the  intelligent 
operator  at  the  other  end  of  the  line’  is  who  and  what  he 
claims  to  be,  viz.,  a  discarnate  human  being. 

Thought-reading  does  not  ‘cover  the  whole  ground,’ 
for  experience  proves  that  when  the  visitor  goes  to  a  me¬ 
dium,  anxious  to  obtain  special  information  or  ‘tests,’  he  is 
frequently  disappointed.  Other  spirits,  of  whom  he  is  not 
thinking,  are  spoken  of  and  described  to  him,  and  facts, 
entirely  unknown  to  him1,  are  stated,  which  he  can  only 


18 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


verify  by  subsequent  inquiries.  It  is  not  true,  therefore, 
as  is  so  often  asserted,  that  mediums  only  ‘pick  the  brains 
of  sitters,’  read  their  thoughts,  or  describe  the  people  of 
whom  they  are  thinking. 

SPIRITUALISM  A  STEP  UPWARDS. 

Spiritualism  deals  with  a  higher  range  and  a  wider 
field  of  supersensuous  phenomena  than  either  mesmerism, 
telepathy  psychometry,  clairvoyance,  or  healing,  because 
the  natural  susceptibility  of  man  in  these  directions  is 
increased  and  intensified,  and  exercised  upon  a  superior 
plane,  when  it  is  utilized  by  intelligent  spirit  operators. 

Mesmerism  proved  that  one  spirit  in  the  body  can  in¬ 
fluence  another  spirit  also  in  the  body,  and  can  also  affect 
the  body  of  that  individual.  But  Spiritualism  has  proved 
that  a  spirit  out  of  the  body  can  influence  a  spirit  in  the 
body,  and  render  him  impervious  to  ordinary  physical 
sensations,  while  he  is  at  the  same  time  acutely  sensitive 
to  spiritual  or  psychical  impressions.  Teeth  have  been 
drawn,  and  surgical  operations  have  been  performed  upon 
mediums  when  under  ‘control,’  without  the  slightest  in¬ 
dication  upon  their  part  of  experiencing  painful  sensa¬ 
tions  ;  and  yet,  on  other  occasions,  by  thought-transference 
from  the  spirits,  they  have  been  made  to  cry  and  exhibit 
every  indication  of  extreme  grief,  anger,  pain,  or  delight. 
It  is  not  true  that  sensitiveness  is  confined  to  those  who 
are  diseased,  weak  of  will,  neurotic,  or  hysterical.  Those 
who  are  susceptible  to  psychic  influence  may  be  impulsive, 
warmhearted,  spontaneous,  sociable,  and  even  passionate ; 
But  not  by  any  means,  or  of  necessity,  weak-minded  or 
vicious. 

MEDIUMSHIP  DEFINED. 

Dr  Dean  Clarke,  writing  in  the  ‘Banner  of  Light,’ 
says :  ‘  The  word  mediumship,  as  understood  and  used 

by  Spiritualists,  technically  speaking,  means  a  susceptibil¬ 
ity  to  the  influence,  and  more  or  less  control,  of  decarnated 
spirits.  Physiologically,  it  means  a  peculiar  nervous  sus¬ 
ceptibility  iiTwhat  may  be  termed  the  “physic  force,” 
which  spirits  use  to  move  the  mind  or  body,  or  both,  of 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


19 


their  mortal  instrument.  Psychologically,  it  signifies  a 
passive  or  negative  state  of  mind  and  body  which  renders 
a  person  subject  to  the  positive  will-power  of  spirits  who 
influence  him  or  her.’  The  spirit  control  who  employed 
the  hand  of  Mr.  Sta inton  Moses,  ‘M.  A.  (Oxon),’  to  write 
his  thoughts  said,  ‘The  mediumistie  peculiarity  is  one 
of  spirit  solely,  and  not  of  body,  seeing  that  it  occurs  in 
all  varieties  of  physical  frames,  in  the  male  and  in  the 
female ;  in  the  magnetic  and  in  the  electric ;  in  the  stout 
and  robust  as  well  as  in  the  puny  and  thin  of  body;  in 
the  old  and  in  the  young ;  in  all  conditions  and  under  all 
circumstances.  This  alone  would  lead  you  to  see  that  it 
is  not  a  physical  matter;  and  that  conclusion  is  strength¬ 
ened"  for  you  by  the  fact  that  the  gift  is  perpetuated  even 
after  death  of  the  earth  body.  Those  who  on  your  earth 
have  been  mediums  retain  the  gift  and  use  it  with  us. 
They  are  the  most  frequent  visitors  to  your  world ;  they 
communicate  most  readily ;  and  it  is  through  them  that 
spirits  who  have  not  the  gift  are  enabled  to  communicate 
with  your  earth.’ 

Mrs.  Emma  Ilardinge  Brjtten  claimed  that:  ‘What¬ 
ever  that  force  may  be  which  constitutes  the  difference 
between  a  “medium”  and  a  no-medium,  it  is  certainly  of 
a  mental  and  magnetic  character — that  is,  a  combination 
of  the  subtle  elements  of  mind  and  magnetism,  and  there¬ 
fore  of  a  psychological  and  not  of  a  purely  physical  char¬ 
acter.  Whilst  the  Spiritualists  of  this  generation  have 
had  no  one  to  teach  them  either  what  spiritual  gifts  are, 
or  how  to  use  or  how  to  abuse  them,  experience  has  shown 
that  the  conditions  under  which  spiritual  phenomena  are 
produced  through  mediums  are  not  only  helped  or  hin¬ 
dered  by  their  mental  states,  but  also  by  the  will,  mag¬ 
netism,  and  mental  states  of  those  who  surround  them.’ 

MEDIUMSHIP  ON  DIFFERENT  ETNES. 

The  same  laws  govern  the  relations  between  the  sensi- 
tivelind  the  spirit  operator  as  between  the  hypnotist  and 
his  subject.  Therefore  mediumship  it  not  necessarily  spir¬ 
itual  ;  it  may  be  of  all  kinds;  there  may  be  psychical  rela- 


20  A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

tionsliip  of  a  high  grade  and  of  a  low  one.  Thei’e  may 
be  messages  from  beyond  that  prove  the  identity  of  spirits 
and  give  evidence  of  the  continuity  of  life,  of  the  survival 
of  mind,  and  yet  they  may  not  minister  to  spiritual 
growth,  nor  awaken  any  exalted  desire  to  be  of  service  to 
God  and  man.  There  may  be  psychical  sympathy  and 
not  spiritual  fellowship;  there  may  be  spirit  intercourse 
and  not  that  sweet  spiritual  communion  which  should  be 
the  goal  of  all  who  seek  for  evidences  of  life  beyond  the 
valley  of  death. 

It  is  no  longer  possible  to  regard  mediumship  as  a  su¬ 
pernatural  endowment.  It  is,  as  regards  the  psychic  sus¬ 
ceptibility  upon  which  it  depends,  the  common  property 
of  the  race,  and  is  therefore  as  natural  as  are  the  ‘gifts’ 
of  song  or  oratory  or  the  ability  to  paint  or  construct. 
But  as  certain  gifts  and  graces  are  more  developed  in 
some  individuals  than  in  others,  in  like  manner  the  sensi¬ 
tiveness  which  is  called  mediumship  is  more  highly  devel¬ 
oped  (or  is  capable  of  such  development)  in  certain  pecu¬ 
liarly  constituted  persons  who  may  be  regarded  as  super- 
normally  gifted,  yet  as  naturally  so  as  geniuses  in  other 
directions. 

STUDY  NECESSARY  FOR  SELF-KNOWLEDGE. 

The  study  of  man’s  natural  spiritual  aptitudes,  and 
the  methods  of  their  intelligent  development,  safeguarding 
and  exercise,  are  therefore  of  supreme  importance  to  the 
individual  and  the  race.  Those  who  are  constitutionally 
sensitive  cannot  properly  understand  themselves,  or  right¬ 
ly  interpret  their  own  feelings  and  experiences,  until  they 
realize  and  comprehend  these  soul-possibilities  and  rela¬ 
tionships;  and  the  world  will  be  benefited  by  the  spread 
of  the  knowledge  that  by  the  cultivation  of  these  powers 
of  spiritual  perception  and  expression  the  presence  of  the 
so-called  dead  can  be  scientifically  demonstrated  and  the 
continuity  and  purpose  of  life  be  revealed. 

When  wisely  cultivated  and  rightly  used,  mediumship 
seldom  has  any  ill  effects ;  on  the  contrary,  it  tends  to  the 
harmonizing  of  the  individual,  both  physically  and  mor¬ 
ally.  With  pure  aspirations  and  a  reasonable  amount  of 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


21 


common  sense,  a  medium,  even  of  only  moderate  power, 
may  maintain  his  health,  refine  and  expand  his  intellect, 
and  become  a  substantial  helper  to  his  fellows.  But  me¬ 
diumship,  to  be  healthy,  must  be  progressive;  there  is  no 
standing  still  and  maintaining  the  integrity  of  either  spir¬ 
itual  or  physical  powers.  No  sooner  does  aspiration  stop 
than  retrogression  begins;  but  with  a  high  standard  always 
befoi’e  him,  and  favorable  environments,  there  appears  to 
be  no  limit  to  the  individual  development  of  the  earnest 
and  intelligent  medium.  The  powrer  on  the  spirit  side  is 
practically  unlimited;  all  that  is  required  is  an  instru¬ 
ment  sufficiently  perfect  to  express  it. 

PHILOSOPHICAL  DEDUCTIONS. 

The  belief  in  a  future  life  is  well-nigh  universal,  but  if 
man  lives  after  the  decease  of  the  body  he  must  surely 
persist  as  a  rational,  conscious  intelligence.  Such  persist¬ 
ence  must  be  natural,  and  provision  for  the  sequential 
spiritual  life  of  man  must  have  been  made  as  part  of  the 
economy  of  the  universe. 

The  idea  of  the  indestructibility  of  life  is  forcing  itself 
upon  intelligent  people,  and  the  survival  of  man  beyond 
the  incident  of  death  is  coming  to  be  regai’ded  as  due  to, 
and  dependent  upon,  his  spiritual  nature.  Whatever 
powers  are  possessed  and  exercised  by  the  disearnate  being 
are  inherent,  if  dormant,  in  the  essential  self  while  here. 
3fan  is  immortal  because  he  is  an  expression  of  Life — the 
highest  manifestation  of  that  wonderful  creative  energy 
which  is  imminent  everywhere.  Having  attained  self- 
conscious  being,  the  doffing  of  the  physical  body  does  not 
destroy  life,  but,  in  reality,  affords  it  greater  scope  for 
expression  under  new  and  more  subtle  conditions. 

If  man  is  a  spiritual  being  now  and  always;  if  power 
resides  within;  if  all  knowdedge  is  possessed  as  a  state  of 
consciousness — then  life  after  death  must  mean  the  reten¬ 
tion  of  knowledge,  the  increase  of  power  for  self-expres¬ 
sion,  and  the  satisfaction  of  the  mental  and  spiritual  ideals 
of  the  real  self. 

As  all  manifestation  of  mind  depends  upon  the  con¬ 
sciousness  and  its  will  ability;  as  all  transference  of 


22 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


thought  is  due  to  the  ability  of  oue  mind  to  appeal  to 
another  by  inducing  sensations  which  result  from  some 
form  or  mode  of  motion  in  the  ether  or  psychic  atmos¬ 
phere— there  must  be  some  point  of  contact,  some  inter¬ 
mediary  agency  by  means  of  which  such  results  can  be 
achieved;  for  the  eye  light  and  color,  for  the  ear  sound, 
and  so  onfTnrt 


MIND  MUST  INTERPRET  MIND. 

Vibrations  are  meaningless  until  they  impinge  upon 
ancPare  cognized  by  the  spirit  behind  the  eye,  the  ear, 
the  body.  The  engineer  uses  the  machine — the  man  his 
physical  instrument. 

If  communications  are  to  pass  between  the  people  who 
dwell  in  the  spiritual  realm  (and  function  on  that  plane 
through  a  spiritual  or  etheric  body)  and  the  dwellers  on 
this  outer  plane  of  consciousness,  there  must  be  some  in¬ 
tervening  and  uniting  medium  by  means  of  which 
thoughts  may  pass,  or  other  modes  of  manifestation  may 
be  employed.  ‘Spiritualism  is  the  science  of  Life  in  all 
its  conditions  and  modes  of  manifestation  here  and  here¬ 
after,’  and  the  principal  difficulty  which  had  to  be  faced 
was  the  building  of  the  psychic  bridge  into  the  unseen 
that  our  trains  of  thought  might  rim  right  through. 

The  oneness,  or  unity,  of  Life  is  the  first  fact  to  be 
recognized. 

The  cause  of  organization  is  always  Life.  Means  to 
the  end  are  ever  employed.  Material  conditions  and  agen¬ 
cies  are  all  the  time  vitalized  and  utilized  by  in-dwelling 
Life,  or  'governed  and  directed  by  Intelligence. 

Forces  of  various  kinds  are  controlled  or  manipulated 
by  man,  and,  although  unseen,  are  demonstrably  real. 

Mind  is  involved  in  all  manifestations  which  indicate 
purpose. 

Phenomena  which  are  the  result  of  the  play  of  forces 
that  are  clearly  under  the  government  of  an  intelligent 
operator  can  only  be  attributed  to  Intelligence. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


23 


THE  INTELLIGENT  OPERATOR. 

SpiritTMiiisin  lias  made  us  acquainted  with  phenomena 
— occurrence^  upon  the  objective  plane — in  which  force  in 
evidently  employed  intelligently — that  intelligence  dis- 
'playing  knowledge,  power,  purpose,  other  than,  and  dif¬ 
fering  from,  the  possessions  or  intentions  of  any  of  the 
visible  beings  during  their  occurrence.  Upon  inquiring  of 
the  operator  who  he  is,  and  what  is  his  object  in  producing 
the  outward  and  visible  signs  of  his  existence,  responses 
have  been  forthcoming  in  which  the  claim  is  made  that  he 
is  a  disearnate  human  being.  In  many  instances  test  mes¬ 
sages  have  been  given  in  which  evidence  has  been  pre¬ 
sented  leading  to  the  verification  of  that  claim,  and,  as  far 
as  the  circumstances  of  such  intercourse  admit,  of  the 
identification  of  the  unseen  operator. 

It  has  been  found  that  the  presence  of  certain  persons 
is  indispensable,  because  they  supply  the  peculiar  ‘ether- 
ie, ’  ‘vital,’  ‘nervo-magnetic,’  or  ‘psychic’  force  that  is 
requisite  as  the  intermediate  agency.  Thus  the  phenom¬ 
enal  demonstrations  of  the  presence  of  the  spirit  which 
appeal  to  the  observer  depend  upon  a  dual  agency — the 
force  to  be  employed  and  the  human  generator  of  that 
Horce. 

Other  and  more  direct  contact  is  effected  where  the 
operator  can  relate  his  own  psychic  sphere  to  that  of  the 
sensitive  who  is  susceptible  to  his  influence.  Then  the 
vital,  or  nerve,  currents  can  be  operated  upon  immediately 
by  the  will  of  the  communicator,  who,  having  thus  made 
the  connection,  uses  the  organism  of  the  medium  to  trans¬ 
mit  his  message.  But  if  the  people  on  the  spiritual  plane 
differed  essentially  from  those  on  this  side  there  could 
hardly  be  any  such  intercourse. 

The  identity  of  origin,  and  the  unity  of  nature  and 
being — the  oneness  offthe  mental  and  the  psychic  capa¬ 
bilities  and  endowments  of  both  operator  and  subject — 
enable  those  who  know  how,  to  link  themselves  on  to  us 
and  give  such  impulsions  to  the  spiritual  ether  as  stir  the 
brain  waves  in  those  of  us  who  are  attuned  to  their  rate 
of  vibrations,  and  cause  in  us  consciousness  of  vision. 


24 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


voice,  feeling,  or  desire,  thought,  or  purpose,  which  may 
die  regarded  as  at  once  evidence  of  the  unseen;  proof  cf 
immortality ;  and  an  inspiration  to  higher  purposes  and 
nobler  ideals. 

SPIRITUAL  SCIENCE  AND  RELIGION. 

Spiritual  science  prompts  us  to  make  the  best  use  of 
this  life,  and  impels  us  to  the  attainment  of  the  power  to 
recognize  and  realize  the  beauty  and  divinity  of  our  own 
being — of  Life  here — and  to  tread  the  spiral  way  of  spir¬ 
itual  ascension.  In  evolution  we  trace  the  evidences  of 
the  outworking  of  the  involved  energy — the  immanent 
mind,  the  Spirit  Divine.  Tims  the  science  of  the  Spirit 
leads  to  the  recognition  of  the  Religion  of  Life.  ‘M.  A. 
(Oxon),’  one  of  our  best  and  most  intelligent  mediums, 
made  this  terse  and  pointed  assertion :  ‘  It  is  impossible 

to  dissociate  Spiritualism,  of  any  sort  worth  the  name, 
from  religion  and  morals.’  It  occurs  in  the  following 
definition,  which  he  gives,  of  what  a  Spiritualist  is:  ‘A 
Spiritualist,  first  of  all,  is  one  who  has  proven  for  him¬ 
self,  or  has  accepted  as  proven  on  adequate  evidence,  the 
fact  that  death  does  not  kill  the  spirit.  But  this  con¬ 
viction  has  far-reaching  results.  It  is  impossible  to  dis¬ 
sociate  Spiritualism,  of  any  sort  worth  the  name,  from 
religion  and  morals.  For  when  a  man  becomes  assured 
that  he  will  live  after  his  probation  here  he  naturally 
seeks  to  know  where  and  how;  and  equally  naturally  he 
seeks  his  information  from  those  who,  having  passed  to 
that  state,  are  qualified  to  give  it.  He  finds  that  there  is 
a  broad  agreement  as  to  the  essential  points  which  most 
concern  him,  and  he  arrives  at  the  conclusion  that  belief  is 
little  and  life  and  conduct  much.  He  learns  that  his  char¬ 
acter  is  his  own  production,  as  it  is  his  own  property,  and 
that  each  act  of  his  daily  life  is  a  factor  in  its  evolution. 
When  the  probation  of  earth-life  is  over  he  goes  to  the 
place  that  he  has  prepared  for  himself.  His  Spiritualism, 
when  he  realizes  that,  has  already  entered  into  the  sphere 
of  religion.’  And  Gerald  Massey  very  forcibly  says: 
‘Spiritualism  will  make  religion  infinitely  more  real,  and 
translate  it  from  the  domain  of  belief  to  that  of  life.  It 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


25 


has  been  to  me,  in  common  with  many  others,  such  a  lift¬ 
ing  of  the  mental  horizon  and  a  letting  in  of  the  heavens — 
such  a  transformation  of  faiths  into  facts — that  I  can  only 
compare  life  without  it  to  sailing  on  board  ship  with 
hatches  battened  down,  and  being  kept  prisoner,  cribbed, 
cabined  and  confined,  living  by  the  light  of  a  candle — 
dark  to  the  glory  overhead,  and  blind  to  a  thousand  pos¬ 
sibilities  of  being — and  then  suddenly  on  some  starry 
night  allowed  to  go  on  deck  for  the  first  time  to  see  the 
stupendous  mechanism  of  the  starry  heavens  all  aglow  with 
the  glory  of  God,  to  feel  that  vast  vision  glittering  in  the 
eyes,  bewilderingly  beautiful,  and  drink  in  new  life  with 
every  breath  of  this  wondrous  liberty,  which  makes  you 
dilate  almost  large  enough  in  soul  to  fill  the  immensity 
which  you  see  around  you.’ 


26 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  EFFECTS  OF  MEDIUMSHIP. 

No  medium  can  command^ results;  lie  can  only  give 
conditions  and  invite  the  aid  of  the  spirits.  Do  hot  forget 
that  spirit  people  have  minds  of  their  own,  and  will  act 
or  refrain  from  acting  as  they  think  best,  not  when  you 
please  to  demand.— B.  G.  E. 

The  thoughts  we  cultivate  place  us  en  rapport  with 
corresponding  spheres  or  planes  of  thought,  and  the  man 
or  woman  who  habitually  lives  on  a  good  moral  plane  is 
impervious  to  the  intrusion  of  mischievous  and  immoral 
influences  from  either  the  borderland  or  the  mortal  plane. 
~  Harbinger  of  Light.5 

For  the  normal  development  of  psychic  powers  an  en¬ 
tirely  different  attitude  is  required  on  the  part  of  the 
sensitive  from  that  which  is  necessary  for  the  development 
of  mediumship. 

The  normal  psychic  must  consciously  concentrate  his 
attention  on  the  effort  to  feel,  to  see,  to  hear,  to  ‘sense’ 
and  know  upon  the  plane  of  his  inner  consciousness.  He 
must  be  receptive — keenly  alive  to  impressions— that  he 
may  become  cognizant  of  states  of  being,  and  be  able  to 
respond  to,  and  interpret,  the  sensations  that  are  produced 
in  himself.  But  the  sensitive  who  desires  spirit  guidance 
has  to  be  negatively  receptive.  He  is  not  the  actor,  but 
is  acted  upon.  While  by  attention  to  the  requisite  condi¬ 
tions  and  by  his  motives  and  aspirations  he  may  prepare 
himself  for  control,  he  has  hereafter  to  act  or  speak, 
more  or  less  consciously,  under  the  direction,  and  carry 
into  effect  the  wishes  or  purposes,  of  the  intelligence  who 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


27 


acts  upon  and  through  him.  But  while  this  is  true  it 
must  not  be  supposed  that  spirit  influence  is  limited  to, 
and  exerted  solely  upon,  those  who  are  known  to  be  medi¬ 
ums;  or  that  spirits  do  not  assist  those  who  use  their  own 
psychic  faculties.  It  is  probable  that  all  people  who  are 
psychically  sensitive  and  open  to  impressions  are  indebted 
to  spirit  helpers,  whether  they  are  conscious  of  the  fact 
or  not. 

There  is  undoubtedly  a  greater  degree  of  influx  from 
the  spirit  side  than  even  Spiritualists  are  aware.  Many 
persons  are  indebted  to  spirit  people  for  spontaneous  im¬ 
pulses,  which,  while  those  persons  act  upon  them  and  reap 
The^consequences,  they  can  neither  explain  nor  trace  to 
their  source.  Spirits  frequently  associate  with  and  serve 
their  earth  friends,  although  the  recipients  of  their  bene¬ 
factions  are  unaware  of  the  fact.  There  would  be  very 
much  more  of  this  kind  of  guidance  from  the  unseen,  if, 
instead  of  being  frightened,  or  repellant  in  their  mental 
attitude  towards  the  spirits,  the  great  bulk  of  people  were 
prepared  to  accept  such  assistance  from  the  other  side  as 
perfectly  natural  and  to  be  expected. 

The  basis  of  all  enduring  union  is  spiritual.  Perma¬ 
nency  of  harmony  can  alone  be  found  on  the  plane  of  the 
spirit,  and  in  that  sympathy  of  soul  which  alone  unites. 
There  can  be  no  true  or  lasting  spiritual  sympathy  with¬ 
out  reciprocity.  The  cultivation  of  the  aspirational  atti¬ 
tude,  of  the  desire  for  the  best  possible  results,  would  lead 
to  the  opening  up  of  the  powers  of  perception,  reception, 
and  expression  of  spiritual  influences  and  inspirations  of 
a  high  and  helpful  order,  and  lead  to  more  intimate  and 
stimulating  relations  with  the  people  from  beyond  the 
borderland  between  the  two  worlds. 

A  WIDE  FIELD  FOR  RESEARCH 

In  dealing  with  the  question  of  the  effects  of  medium- 
ship  we  find  that  there  are  many  important  problems  that 
confront  us  and  await  solution.  A  very  wide  field  of  re¬ 
search  is  opened  up  to  us  in  the  science,  philosophy,  and 
religion  of  the  spirit. 


28 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


While  the  phenomena  of  mediumship  serve  the  pur- 
pose  of  supplying  the  foundation  evidences  of  spirit  exist¬ 
ence  and  identity,  they  also  challenge  us  to  the  investiga¬ 
tion  of  the  spiritual  forces,  laws,  and  principles  which 
operate  in  the  constitution  of  the  universe  and  the  nature 
of  man.  The  phenomena  called  spiritual  present  many 
difficulties  and  suggest  numerous  possibilities,  and  compel 
us,  as  students,  to  undertake  the  work  of  the  discovery, 
explanation,  and  application  of  the  truth  regarding  our¬ 
selves,  our  responsibilities,  our  place  in  Nature,  our  des¬ 
tiny,  our  relationship  to  others  and  to  the  ‘Power  not  our¬ 
selves’ — the  Supreme  Immanent  Life — the  Spirit  Divine 
■ — that  ever  makes  for  righteousness. 

MEDIUMSHIP  AND  SELF-DEVELOPMENT. 

There  seems  to  be  a  disposition  in  some  quarters  to 
regard  mediumship  as  inimical  to  self-development;  to 
argue  that  ‘control’  by  spirits  is  injurious  to  the  medium 
— or  to  the  spirit — or  to  both.  It  is  not  infrequently  as¬ 
serted,  or  inferentially  assumed,  that  to  be  a  medium  in¬ 
volves  loss  of  individuality  and  consequent  injury  to  the 
selfhood  of  the  medium.  There  are  some  even  who  hold 
that  a  medium  should  think  little  and  know  less,  that  the 
evidence  of  the  superior  ability  of  the  spirit  may  be  the 
more  apparent.  There  may  be  some  mediums  who  are 
‘ignoramuses,’  but  it  is  doubtful  if  there  will  be  any  great 
degree  of  intelligence  or  high  spiritual  illumination  pre¬ 
sented  through  their  agency.  It  is  possible  that  some 
mediums  act  foolishly  when  in  their  normal  state  for  the 
purpose  of  accentuating  the  difference  between  their  or¬ 
dinary  and  abnormal  conditions  of  mental  activity ;  but 
there  is  a  more  rational,  intelligent,  and,  indeed,  a  more 
spiritual  conception  of  the  relations  which  should  exist 
between  mediums  and  their  spirit  ‘guides,’  which  is  rap¬ 
idly  finding  favor  with  thoughtful  mediums  and  Spiritu¬ 
alists  alike.  There  is  a  ‘more  excellent  way’  of  approach¬ 
ing  the  people  of  the  unseen  realm  whereby  good,  not 
evil,  accrues  to  both  sensitive  and  spirit. 

The  co-operative  association  of  medium  and  spirit  on 
the  plane  of  thought  and  purpose,  emotion  and  motive, 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


29 


ethics  and  inspiration,  results  in  the  education  and  eleva¬ 
tion  of  the  sensitive,  and  the  increase  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  operator  as  to  the  conditions  on  this  side.  So  far 
from  it  being  true  that  the  effort  to  manifest  is  injurious 
to  the  spirit,  we  have  known  many  instances  where  the 
communicating  intelligence  has  declared — and  given  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  fact — that  he  has  derived  great  benefit  from 
his  association  with  the  medium  and  the  sitters  who  have 
assisted  in  the  intercourse. 

MERE  ‘DABBLING’  DEPRECATED. 

"Writing  in  ‘Light,’  Mr.  J.  J.  Morse  says  that  ‘Andrew 
Jackson  Davis,  Hudson  Tuttle,  and  other  writers,  if  I  cor¬ 
rectly  understand  them,  claim  that  mediumship  is  a  con¬ 
stitutional  condition  and  depends  upon  nervous  adaption, 
Cei,“  sensitiveness,”  and  the  quickening  of  the  subjective 
(psychical)  faculties,  while,  personally,  my  own  firm  con¬ 
viction  is  that  there  is  nothing  inherently  dangerous  in 
“mediumship.”  The  mere  dabbling  in  mediumship,  as 
either  the  means  of  a  new  sensation,  or  for  the  gratifica¬ 
tion  of  personal  vanity,  is  to  be  thoroughly  deprecated,  as 
a  perversion  of  some  of  the  most  wonderful  possibilities 
of  our  natures;  while  the  prosecution  of  mediumship,  or 
anything  else,  to  the  detriment  of  mind,  nerves,  or  health, 
in  any  direction,  is  a  sin  against  oneself,  and  will  inevit¬ 
ably  call  down  the  resultant  penalties  of  physical  and  men¬ 
tal  deterioration.  I  have  many  times  advised  inquirers 
who  wished  to  know  how  to  develop  mediumship,  unless 
they  desired  to  do  so  for  serious  use,  and  within  proper 
limits,  not  to  seek  its  development  at  all.  And  in  cases 
where  I  could  clearly  see  it  would  prove  personally  detri¬ 
mental,  I  have  strongly  advised  the  inquirer  to  let  the 
matter  entirely  alone.’ 

Very  much  depends  upon  the  objects  entertained  by 
the  medium  and  the  sitters,  as  also  upon  the  character  and 
intentions  of  the  spirit  who  seeks  to  manifest  his  presence; 
but,  on  general  lines,  where  people  of  average  intelligence 
and  rectitude  seek  communion  with  those  they  have  known 
and  esteemed,  or  loved,  the  results  are  almost  invariably 


30 


A  Guide  to  Medhmship 


beneficial.  There  is  every  reason  why  this  should  be  so  if 
the  common-sense  precautions  are  observed  of  keeping  a 
level  head,  exercising  patience,  exhibiting  unselfishness 
and  sincerity,  and  desiring  good  spiritual  counsel  and 
fellowship. 

Mr.  A.  Morton  truly  says:  ‘Elevated  spirits  do  not 
require  mediums  to  surrender  their  reason;  on  the  con¬ 
trary,  they  advise  that  every  new  thought  should  be  tested 
in  the  crucible  of  reason,  and  that  it  be  rejected  if  not  in 
accordance  therewith ;  but  the  control  of  domineering  spir¬ 
its,  claiming  the  names  of  celebrities,  who  present  un¬ 
reasonable  theories  and  in  a  dictatorial  “thus  saith  the 
spirit”  manner,  demand  unquestioning  compliance  with 
their  commands,  must  be  rejected  by  all  mediums  as  de¬ 
basing  and  inconsistent  with  selfrespect.  Humility  is  a 
distinguishing  feature  of  all  true  greatness  and  wisdom. 
.  .  .  Any  associations  or  concessions  which  have  a  tendency 
to  lower  the  spiritual  standard  must  be  carefully  avoided, 
for  there  is  no  growth  in  any  relations  which  can  only  be 
maintained  by  the  sacrifice  of  self-respect  and  self-justice.’ 

No  medium  should  permit  his  love  of  approbation  and 
desire  for  success  to  carry  him  away  from  the  strict  path 
of  righteousness. 


THE  RATIONAL  COURSE. 

The  rational  course  for  mediums  and  inquirers  to  fol¬ 
low  is  assuredly  that  of  avoiding  the  extremes  alike  of 
credulity  and  sceptical  incredulity,  by  letting  the  spirits 
do  their  best  and  then  collating  the  facts  observed  and 
drawing  conclusions.  Care,  patience,  and  perseverance 
will  save  both  mediums  and  inquirers  from  many  miscon¬ 
ceptions  and  enable  them  to  avoid  the  errors  of  others. 
Above  all,  mediums  should  observe  their  own  feelings, 
study  their  own  experiences,  try  to  understand  and  co¬ 
operate  with  the  spirits,  but  never  yield  servile  or  slavish 
service,  nor  permit  themselves  to  be  swayed  by  flattery 
nor  dominated  by  any  spirit  (in  the  circle  or  on  the  spirit 
side”)-  who  claims  obedience,  poses  as  an  ‘authority,’  or 
refuses  to  recognize  the  rights  of  others. 


A  Guide  to  Medmmship 


31 


No  medium  should  remain  ignorant,  or  refrain  from 
giving  effect  to  his  (or  her)  natural  desire  for  knowledge 
and  self-improvement  under  the  erroneous  idea  that  he 
does  not  need  to  think,  study,  or  learn,  because  he  is  a 
medium;  and  that  the  spirits  will  provide  and  leach 
through  him  all  that  is  required.  On  the  other  hand, 
while  thoughtfully  observant  of  favorable  conditions,  and 
intelligent  in  self-study  and  culture,  the  medium  should 
avoid  ‘getting  up’  certain  subjects,  or  thinking  along  cer¬ 
tain  lines  with  the  purpose  and  expectation  that  such 
information  will  be  employed  while  under  control.  Such 
action,  proceeding  from  a  wrong  motive,  cannot  fail  to 
injure  the  psychic  relations  between  the  spirit  and  the 
medium,  and  will  render  the  work  of  the  control  doubly 
hard,  because  such  thoughts  will  have  to  be  cleared  away 
before  those  of  the  spirit  can  be  transferred  to,  and  have 
free  course  through,  the  medium. 


32 


^  Guide  to  Mediumship 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PHENOMENA  OP  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Every  sensitive  person  is  not  a  medium,  but  every  me¬ 
dium  is  a  sensitive.— ‘M.  A  .(Oxon).’ 

The  evidence  of  man’s  immortality  rest  on  spirit  mani¬ 
festations.  "Without  them  we  could  have  no  certain  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  future  life.  I  make  this  broad  statement,  in¬ 
cluding  the  manifestations  of  ancient  times  and  of  all 
races,  but  more  especially  is  it  true  of  the  modern  phen¬ 
omena. — Hudson  Tuttle. 

The  phenomena  by  which  spirits  manifest  their  pres¬ 
ence,  demonstrate  their  power,  and  establish  their  identity 
are,  broadly  speaking,  classed  under  two  heads — physical 
and  mental. 

PHYSICAL  PHENOMENA. 

What  the  peculiar  quality  of  mediumistic  power  for 
the  production  of  sensous  evidences  may  be  we  cannot 
determine,  but  scientific  students  of  ‘the  phenomena  called 
spiritual,’  such  as  Professors  Hare,  Mapes,  Zollner,  Elliott 
Coues,  and  Hyslop,  Cromwell  Varley,  I)r.  Alfred  R.  Wal¬ 
lace,  Mr.  Myers,  and  Dr.  Hodgson,  admit  that  the  mani¬ 
festations  are  produced  by  the  spirits  through  the  agency 
of  the  ‘psychic  force’  (as  Sir  Wm.  Crookes  called  it)  of 
the  medium,  who  is  able,  when  the  conditions  of  the  circle 
are  favorable,  to  attract  from  the  sitters  still  more  of  this 
power,  which  thus  becomes  centred  in  him.  Pie  is,  so  to 
speak,  a  storage  battery  that  can  be  drawn  upon  at  the 
will  of  the  ‘intelligent  operator  at  the  other  end  of  the 
line.’  This  force  is  employed  for  the  production  of  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


33 


varied  physical  manifestations  which  have  been  observed 
in  the  presence  of  mediums,  the  determining-  factors  in 
each  case  being  the  peculiar  quality  of  the  force,  the  capa¬ 
bilities  of  the  mediums,  the  knowledge  and  power  of  the 
spirits,  and  the  influence  of  the  sitters  or  observers.  Dr. 
Dean  Clarke  says:  Tfuman  magnetism,  or  nerve-aura, 
is  probably  the  most  sublimated  form  of  ethereal  matter, 
hence  nearest  in  refinement  to  spirit-substance,  and  there- 
fore  spirits  use  it  as  the  vehicle  of  their  vibrating  forces. 
Those  persons  who  have  an  excess  of  magnetism,  of  the 
proper  quality  to  unite  with  both  the  psychic  force  of  spir¬ 
its  and  the  forces  inherent  in  natural  objects,  and  thus 
form  an  electro-magnetic  connection  of  spirits  with  the  ob¬ 
jects  they  wish  to  act  upon  are  the  ones  chosen  as  physical 
mediums.  The  mind  and  brain  of  the  medium  are  not  often, 
nor  necessarily  controlled,  only  his  magnetism  and  psychic 
forces  are  used,  through  which  spirits  transmit  the  vibra¬ 
tions  of  their  own  power  to  mechanically  produce  concus¬ 
sions,  or  movements  of  material  objects.’ 

Hudson  Tuttle,  writing  ‘automatically,’  gave  the  fol¬ 
lowing  description  by  a  spirit  of 

nOW  PHYSICAL  PHENOMENA  ARE  PRODUCED. 

‘Zoether  (psychic  force)  emanating  from  the  medium 
charges  the  object  to  be  moved,  and  a  band  of  spirits  di 
reefs  a  current  of  their  own  zoethic  emanation  in  the  di¬ 
rection  they  desire  the  article  to  move,  and  it  passes  along 
the  current  thus  produced.  The  charging  of  the  object  by 
the  medium  is  necessary  in  order  that  it  may  be  in  a  state 
of  vibration  harmonious  to  the  spirit  current.  If  this  cur¬ 
rent  be  directed  against  the  table  or  other  charged  body, 
raps  or  concussions  are  produced,  as  a  positive  and  nega¬ 
tive  relation  exists  between  the  spirits  and  the  medium’s 
zoether.  One  spirit  alone  cannot  communicate  in  the  lat¬ 
ter  manner;  i.  e.,  cannot  produce  physical  manifestations. 
If  one  purports  to  communicate,  assistance  will  be  ren¬ 
dered  by  many  others,  who  combine  their  influence.’ 

The  physical  phenomena  not  only  include  the  move¬ 
ments  of  tables  and  the  production  of  ‘raps,’  but  a  variety 


34 


A  Guide  lo  Medi umship 

of  other  manifestations  come  under  this  head,  such  as 
spirit  lights;  freedom  from  the  effects  of  fire;  the  passage 
of  matter  through  matter;  direct  writings  on  paper  or 
slates ;  direct  voices ;  levitations  of  the  medium :  spirit  pho¬ 
tographs  ;  and  the  production  of  the  physicalized  or  ma¬ 
terialized  form.  Other  occurrences  might  rightly  be  in¬ 
cluded  in  this  list,  but  sufficient  have  been  mentioned  to 
indicate  the  extensive  range  of  the  residts  of  the  endeav¬ 
ors  of  spirit  people  to  make  their  presence  known  by  su¬ 
pernormal  means.  ‘It  is  seldom  that  spirits  can  come  into 
such  direct  and  forcible  contact  with  physical  objects  as 
to  move  them  without  the  presence  of  a  medium.  This  is 
occasionally  done,  however,  as  in  the  instances  of  haunted 
houses  where  no  one  in  the  flesh  abides;  also  where  earth- 
bound  spirits  appears  as  “ghosts”  independent  of  the 
presence,  or  at  least,  at  a  distance  from,  any  person  in 
mortal  form.  But,_as  a  rule,  the  magnetism  of  a  medium, 
or,  better  still,  that  of  a  “circle, ”  is  necessary  to  furnish 
a,  bond  between  spirit  and  grosser  matter.’ 

Hudson  Tuttle  truly  says:  ‘As  the  channel,  so  the 
stream  which  flows  through  it :  the  vessel  gives  form  to 
the  water  which  it  contains.  Each  medium  attracts  a  class 
or  grade  of  spirits  peculiar  to  himself.  There  must  be 
affinity.  These  are  attracted :  first,  because  certain  phen¬ 
omena  can  be  given  through  his  organization  which  cannot 
through  any  other  ;  second,  because  certain  thoughts  can 
be  transmitted  through  his  brain  which  cannot  through 
any  other;  third,  because  there  is  similarity  or  congeni¬ 
ality.  ’ 

MENTaL  phenomena. 

Under  this  head  are  included  involuntary,  or  ‘auto¬ 
matic’  writing  and  drawing;  clairvoyant  perception  of 
spirits,  and  the  clairaudient  hearing  of  spirit  voices; 
prophetic  utterances,  personal  or  national;  impersonating 
and  inspirational  control  for  ‘test’  purposes;  and  trance 
speaking  for  public  addresses,  when  the  medium  speaks 
while  in  the  deep  trance,  or  when  his  powers  are  stimulated 
and  aroused  to  supernormal  activity  by  inspirational  sug¬ 
gestion. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


35 


Mediums  are  frequently  so  completely  subjugated  when 
entranced,  especially  iu  the  private  circle,  as  to  be  prac¬ 
tically  ‘changed  into  another  man,’  as  the  Bible  puts  it. 
The  ‘impersonation’  is  so  vivid  that  the  spirit  who  thus 
manifests  his  own  individuality,  memory,  and  conscious¬ 
ness  will  sometimes  cause  the  features  of  the  medium  to 
change  until  they  resemble  his  own,  and  the  sitters  can  dis¬ 
cern  the  likeness  to  their  departed  friend  in  the  transfig¬ 
ured  face  of  the  sensitive.  Psychometry,  clairvoyance,  and 
magnetic  healing,  when  employed  under  spirit  control, 
are  generally  upon  a  higher  plane  and  deal  with  more 
spiritual  conditions  than  when  these  powers  are  normally 
employed.  These  are  the  main  divisions  and  phases  of 
mediumship,  each  of  which,  however,  includes  a  number 
of  separate  grades  of  manifestation. 

We  agree  with  Dr.  Alfred  E.  Wallace,  who  pointed 
out,  in  his  able  lecture  entitled  ‘If  a  man  dies  shall  he  live 
again?’  that  mediums  are  of  all  ages  and  conditions,  and 
the  phenomena  which  occur  in  their  presence  have  been 
subjected  to  the  most  critical  examination  by  many  clever 
and  sceptical  investigators,  and  their  reality  and  reliabil¬ 
ity  have  been  as  thoroughly  established  as  any  of  the  great 
facts  of  physical  science.  We  may  therefore  entirely  dis¬ 
card  the  idea  that  imposture,  except  in  isolated  cases,  will 
account  for  the  manifestations  that  have  been  observed. 
Wherever  the  phenomena  occur,  whether  in  England, 
Prance,  Germany,  Spain,  Russia,  America,  Australia,  or 
India,  they  are  of  the  same  general  type,  while  the  indi¬ 
vidual  differences  among  them  show  that  they  are  not 
copied  one  from  the  other.  Whether  the  mediums  are 
educated  or  ignorant,  boys  or  girls,  men  or  women,  savage 
or  civilized ;  whether  the  phenomena  are  spontaneous  or 
elicited  in  response  to  the  desire  of  the  recipients,  the  same 
general  characteristics  observable  iu  the  results  point  to 
the  unity  of  origin  and  the  existence  of  certain  laws  which 
govern  and  determine  the  nature  of  the  phenomenal  dem¬ 
onstrations  of  the  presence  and  power  of  the  spirits. 
We  conclude,  therefore,  that  the  phenomena  occur  within 
the  scope  of,  and  in  harmony  with,  the  general  principles 
which  govern  the  inter-relations  of  the  spiritual  and  ma- 


36 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


terial  realms,  and  are  thus  in  strict  accordance  with  the 
established  order  and  laws  of  Nature. 

A  QUESTION  OF  EVIDENCE. 

The  identity  of  the  spirits  who  manifest  has  been  so 
frequently  demonstrated  that  spirit  action  cannot  any 
longer  be  denied  by  well-informed  and  impartial  students. 
As  Mr.  A.  Morton,  an  intelligent  and  thoughtful  writer, 
very  pertinently  says:  ‘It  is  claimed  by  many  sound 
thinkers  that  nothing  should  be  attributed  to  the  action 
of  spirits  which  “can  be  accounted  for  by  mundane  agen¬ 
cies.  This  attitude  is  worthy  of  adoption,  as  a  rule,  in 
the  investigation  of  spiritual  phenomena,  but  the  converse 
is  equallj?  sensible ;  the  agency  of  spirits  cannot  be  dis¬ 
proved  in  the  production  of  manifestations  which  cannot 
be  shown  to  be  of  purely  mundane  origin.  Students  of 
spiritual  science  cannot  ignore  the  laws  of  attraction  and 
repulsion,  of  the  inter-dependence  of  mortals  and  spirits; 
that  would  be  equivalent  to  denying  the  foundation  upon 
which  they  are  building — playing  Hamlet  with  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  Danish  king  omitted.  ’* 

The  whole  matter  is,  therefore,  one  of  evidence.  Care 
should,  of  course,  be  exercised,  and  hasty  conclusions  are 
to  be  avoided.  Nothing  can  be  lost  but  everything  may 
be  gained  by  waiting.  Slow  and  sure  should  be  the  atti¬ 
tude  of  the  traveler  along  this  road.  He  will  then  ulti¬ 
mately  find  that  it  leads  him  safely  into  the  ‘unseen’ — the 
realm  of  spirit. 

*  ‘Psychic  Studies.’  P.  205.  By  A.  Morton, 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


J7 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  DIFFICULTIES  AND  DELIGHTS  OF  MEDIUMSHIP. 

The  Spiritualism  that  fails  to  spiritualize  and  elevate 
humanity  is  of  little  value  to  the  world. 

Mediums  are  born,  not  made,  but  sensitiveness  may  be 
cultivated  or  restrained.  Mediumship  is  not  a  gift  which 
can  be  arbitrarily  given  or  withheld,  it  is  a  natural  quali¬ 
fication.  It  is  not  abnormal  except  in  the  sense  that  it  is 
not  every  individual  who  can  experience  to  the  full  the 
value  of  spirit  guidance  or  be  influenced  with  the  same 
degree  of  success. 

The  development  and  exercise  of  mediumship  is  the 
most  pressing  need  of  the  hour.  The  present  dearth  of 
physical  phenomena  is  directly  due  to  the  abandonment 
of  the  practice  of  holding  home  circles.  The  investigator 
nowadays  desires  to  ‘see  something’  without  the  trouble 
of  waiting  for  the  cultivation  of  the  incipient  powers  of 
a  sensitive.  Few  people  have  the  patience  to  join  a  circle 
of  inquirers  and  watch  and  wait  for  results,  and  yet,  un¬ 
less  more  mediums  are  forthcoming,  we  shall  shortly  be 
in  the  position  of  those  who  can  only  point  to  the  record 
of  bygone  evidences,  but  are  unable  to  offer  present-day 
proofs.  Hence  the  study  of  the  laws  and  conditions  fa¬ 
vorable  for  intercourse  with  people  on  the  other  side  is 
never  out-of-date.  The  existence  of  the  psychical  sensi¬ 
tiveness  upon  which  mediumship  depends  can  be  best  dis¬ 
covered,  aroused,  and  regulated  in  the  ‘spirit  circle.’ 
The  ‘home  circle’  has  been  the  nursery  of  most  mediums 
of  note. 


38 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

THE  TRUE  ‘COMMUNION  SERVICE.’ 

The  well-conducted  home  circle  is  the  holy  of  holies  of 
Spiritualism.  It  is  there  that  the  fullest,  sweetest,  most 
direct  and  spiritual  spirit  communion  occurs.  It  is  there 
that  the  periodical  seasons  of  comforting,  refreshing  and 
stimulating  intercourse  with  loved  ones  can  be  most  conn 
pletely  and  naturally  enjoyed.  It  is  there  that  message 
after  message,  with  all  the  cheering  and  satisfactory  inter¬ 
nal  evidences  of  the  presence,  identity  and  abiding  affec¬ 
tion  of  the  dear  ones,  who  are  but  just  behind  the  veil,  can 
be  received.  It  is  there  that  the  care  and  counsel,  the 
helpful  guidance,  the  kindly  warning,  and  the  sustaining 
teaching  of  cherished  friends  can  be,  and  frequently  is, 
experienced  in  a  continuous  and  convincing  series  of  inter¬ 
views,  utterly  impossible  anywhere  else.  Home  circles  are, 
therefore,  the  very  soul  and  salvation  of  Spiritualism. 

CHILD  MEDIUMS. 

When  mediumship  is  spontaneous  with  children  it 
should  not  be  repressed,  neither  should  it  be  excessively 
exercised;  nor  should  child  mediums  be  made  much  of 
and  their  mediumship  extolled  in  their  hearing.  The  fact 
of  their  possession  of  the  psychic  power  of  seeing  or  hear¬ 
ing,  or  any  other  ‘gift,’  should  be  regarded  as  natural,  and 
be  accepted  in  a  calm,  common-sense  manner ;  and  by  judi¬ 
cious  encouragement  and  temperate  use  of  their  powers 
lasting  good  may  result.  Mr.  AV.  J.  Colville  says:  ‘There 
are  three  vile  ways  of  treating  a  mediumistic  child:  to  call 
him  a  liar,  and  threaten  him  with  awful  punishment  if 
he  ever  dares  to  talk  again  about  such  “rot”  as  spiritual 
insight;  or  to  attribute  bis  visions  to  illness,  and  dose  him 
with  nauseating  medicines;  or  to  tell  him  he  is  possessed 
with  a  devil,  and  get  some  ignorant  fanatic  to  pray  over 
him.’  But  there  are  still  other  unwise  ways  of  dealing 
with  a  child  medium;  one  is  to  tell  him  he  is  a  ‘wonder,’ 
and  praise  him  to  other  people  before  his  face;  another 
is  to  urge  him  to  ‘sit’  against  his  inclinations,  and  by 
bribes  or  threats  compel  him  to  try  to  exercise  his  powers 
until  he  is  exhausted  and  permanent!}'-  injured. 


39 


A  Guide  to  Meaiumship 

THE  CONDITIONS  REQUIRED. 

Indeed,  the  question  of  the  conditions  essential  for  suc¬ 
cess  in  dealing  with  psychics  of  all  ages  is  a  very  import¬ 
ant  one,  and  requires  the  greatest  eonsideration.  The 
''sensitive’  is  susceptible  to  vibrations  which  others  do  not 
recognize,  while  he  may  be  at  times  quite  unresponsive  to 
the  ordinary  vibrations  which  affect  others.  While  en¬ 
tranced  the  medium  experiences  little  or  no  sensation  on 
the  outer  plane ;  yet  he  will  be  extremely  conscious  of, 
and  responsive  to,  the  states  of  feeling  and  modes  of 
thought,  or  the  spiritual  conditions,  of  those  who  are 
around  him,  or  those  who  are  operating  upon  him  from 
the  other  side.  ‘ Investigators  have  again  and  again  proved 
that  the  presence  of  some  individuals  promotes  and  aids 
the  manifestations  of  spiritual  power,  while  that  of  others 
absolutely  quenches  or  nullifies  it,  and  that  in  hundreds 
of  well-proved  cases  in  which  human  agency  or  fraud  was 
utterly  impossible.  The  most  philosophical  writers  on 
occult  subjects  all  testify  that  while  honest  scepticism  is 
not  obnoxious  or  injurious  to  mediumistic  power,  deter¬ 
mined  antagonism,  ill-will,  “hatred  and  contempt”  are, 
and  hence  it  is  that  strong  prejudice,  bigotry,  and,  above 
all.  the  proud,  self-sufficient  assumption  of  associative 
bodies,  have  invariably  been  found  to  quench  and  destroy 
the  “power  they  pretend  to  investigate.’* 

INTELLECTUAL  ICEBERGS. 

Sitters  may  be  open-minded  towards  the  sensitive  in¬ 
strument,  and,  on  the  plane  of  intellect,  sincerely  desirous 
of  the  best  results;  they  may,  with  thoroughly  honest  in¬ 
tent,  seek  to  elicit  phenomena  which  will  satisfy  their 
judgment  of  their  spirit  origin,  and  yet  they  may  be  so 
constituted  psychically,  so  lacking  in  sympathy,  that  their 
conditions  will  not  harmonize  with  those  of  the  medium. 
Their  influence  may  be  disintegrating,  instead  of  unifying. 

The  inquirer  of  this  type  may  sav,  ‘I  cannot  under¬ 
stand  it ;  I  desire  to  discover  truth  and  honestly  wish  to  be 

*  Mrs.  Emma  Hard  intro  Britten. 


40 


.4  Guide  to  Mediumship 


convinced,  and  yet  to  mediums  I  am  a  “closed  book”  or 
in  iceberg,  for  in  my  presence  they  freeze  up,  and  can 
give  me  nothing.’  But  his  spirit  friends,  in  seeking  to 
demonstrate  their  presence  and  to  prove  their  identity, 
find  that  his  mental  conditions — cold,  self-centred,  and 
undemonstrative— affect  and  hinder,  rather  than  help, 
their  efforts  to  reach  and  convince  him.  Spirit  people 
respond  most  easily  to  the  spiritual  frame  of  mind,  and 
it  is  when  the  sympathetic  spiritual  relationship  can  be 
established  that  they  are  able  to  make  the  most  successful 
demonstrations  of  their  power.  Spiritual  association  de¬ 
pends  largely  upon  the  laAV  and  power  of  love;  the  un¬ 
selfish  spiritual  emotion  which  prompts  one  to  give.  True 
love  of  the  soul  knows  no  reservations ;  it  gives  itself,  un¬ 
hesitatingly,  and  with  complete  faith.  If  the  student  can 
meet  the  loving  spirit  on  this  plane,  with  unselfish  im¬ 
personal  motives;  without  making  demands,  but  ready  to 
receive  what  they  give ;  if  he  can  meet  them  by  aspiration, 
the  angels  can  respond  by  inspiration. 

It  is,  however,  important  to  recollect  that  people  of 
all  sorts  and  conditions  pass  into  spirit  life,  and  if  we  open 
the  doors  that  communicate  with  the  unseen  we  must  ex¬ 
pect  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  spirits  to  press  forward  to 
reach  us.  William  Denton  used  to  say,  ‘Spirits  are  but 
men  and  women  with  their  jackets  off.’  Hence  communi¬ 
cations  from  them  should  be  held  no  more  authoritative 
and  sacred  than  the  teachings  of  mortals.  Both  should  be 
tested  by  reason  and  common  sense,  and  accepted  or  re¬ 
jected  accordingly. 

The  Rev.  John  Page  Hopps  says:  ‘I  want  to  get  my¬ 
self  and  others  accustomed  to  the  thought  that  if  people 
exist  in  another  world  they  exist  there  as  a  “people,”  not 
as  fantastic,  stately,  solemn,  or  dreamy  spectres: — that  if 
a  man  exists  beyond  the  change  called  death,  he  is  still  a 
man,  unchanged  except  that  he  has  put  off  his  body,  and 
glided  behind  the  veil :  for  a  future  life  can  mean  one 
thing,  if  it  is  to  be  a  reality,  and  not  a  mere  sentiment 
and  solemn  self-delusion, — it  can  only  mean  the  actual 
going-on  of  the  human  being  in  spite  of  the  incident  called 
“death.”  If  it  is  not  that  it  is  nothing:  if  it  is  not  that, 


d  Guide  to  Mediumship 


41 


we  are  only  indulging  in  vain  fancies:  if  it  is  not  that,  we 
may  be  pleasant  poets  singing  of  a  fairyland,  but  we  are 
not  acutal  pilgrims  going  to  “a  better  country,  that  is  a 
heavenly.”  ’ 

IS  MEDIUMSHIP  DESIRABLE  FOR  ALL? 

‘M.  A.  (Oxon)’  said:  ‘I  do  not  think  it  would  be 
reasonable  to  say  that  it  is  wise  and  well  for  everyone  to 
Become  acquainted  with  mediumship  in  his  own  proper 
person.  It  would  not  be  honest  in  me  to  disguise  the  fact 
that  he  who  meddles  with  his  subject  does  so  at  his  peril. 
I  do  not  say  that  peril  is  anything  that  should  always  be 
avoided.  Tn  some  cases  it  is  not,  but  I  do  say  that  the 
development  of  mediumship  is  sometimes  a  very  question¬ 
able  benefit,  as  in  others  it  is  a  very  decided  blessing.’ 

This  is  therefore  a  case  in  which  we  may  safely  say, 
‘let  everyone  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind,’  and 
act  accordingly,  with  a  due  sense  of  the  difficulties  and 
responsibilities  of  the  task.  But  do  not  venture  if  you 
are  afraid.  Fear  hath  torment.  Fear  makes  cowards  of 
us  all,  ‘and  blinds  us  to  our  being’s  best  estate.’  It  lays 
us  open  to  the  enemy  before  we  can  strike  a  blow  in  self- 
defense.  Ignorance  is  no  protection  against  danger.  The 
liability  to  the  intrusion  and  control  of  undesirable  people 
(both  in  and  out  of  the  body)  is  a  constant  risk,  whether 
we  know  it  or  not.  We  may  intensify  the  liability  by  seek¬ 
ing  mediumistic  unfoldment,  but  we  do  not  totally  avoid 
it  by  declining  to  become  mediums,  as  the  ‘dweller  on  the 
threshold’  is  near  us  all  the  time. 

The  ‘ostrich’  policy  of  refusing  to  see  danger  Avail  not 
avail  us.  To  be  forewarned  is  to  be  forearmed,  and  here, 
as  elsewhere,  knowledge,  confidence,  and  pure  purpose  will 
enable  us  to  avoid  pitfalls  and  overcome  obstacles.  Boldly 
facing  the  foe,  Ave  find  that  the  ‘perils’  assume  a  far  less 
threatening  aspect.  The  people  of  the  loAver  spheres  are 
powerless  to  harm  us  Avlien  AAre  extend  our  sympathy  and 
love  tOAvards  them,  but  exercise  our  will,  and  discreetly 
bold  the  fort  of  your  oavu  psychic  nature. 

We,  however,  deem  it  right  and  necessary  that  those 
who  essay  to  tread  this  path  should  knoAv  of  its  difficulties 
as  well  as  its  delights. 


42 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


In  the  main  we  are  aware  that  the  dangers  are  those 
of  ignorance  and  folly;  of  perversion,  abuse,  selfishness, 
and  unspiritual  practices ;  but  that  is  not  quite  all  that  has 
to  be  said,  as  there  are  times  when  those  who  are  sensitive 
— owing  to  ill-health,  lack  of  tone,  temporary  difficulties, 
the  influence  of  associates  and  surroundings,  or  some  such 
causes — may  become  subject  to  influences  (from  this  and 
the  other  side)  that  may  affect  them  injuriously.  But,  as 
a  rule,  nothing  is  to  be  gained  by  dread,  or  by  anticipating 
such  contingencies  (except  that  one  may  not  be  taken  by 
surprise),  and  when  they  do  occur,  one  has  but  to  summon 
the  forces  of  will,  and,  by  supplication  to  the  higher  pow¬ 
ers,  obtain  such  inspirations  and  strength  as  to  take  cap¬ 
tive  those  who  seek  to  ‘possess’  or  injure,  and  triumph  by 
love. 

However,  let  us  continue  the  lesson  which  ‘M.  A. 
(Oxon)  ’  gave.  He  said:— 

THREE  SERIOUS  POINTS. 

‘In  developing  mediumship  one  has  to  consider  a  ques¬ 
tion  involving  three  serious  points.  Can  you  get  into  rela¬ 
tion  with  a  spirit  who  is  wise  enough  and  strong  enough 
to  protect  and  good  enough  for  you  to  trust?  If  you  do  not 
you  are  exposed  to  that  recurrent  danger  which  the  old  oc¬ 
cultists  used  to  describe  as  the  struggle  with  the  dweller 
on  the  threshold.  It  is  true  that  everybody  who  crosses 
the  threshold  of  this  occult  knowledge  does  unquestionably 
come  into  a  new  and  strange  land  in  which,  if  he  has  no 
guide,  he  is  apt  to  lose  his  way.’ 

Commenting  upon  the  foregoing,  Mr.  A.  Morton  truly 
says:  ‘That  mediumship  has  its  shadowy  side  it  is  sense¬ 
less  folly  to  deny,  for  nearly  every  investigator  has  had  to 
encounter  much  that  was  mixed,  mysterious,  and  question¬ 
able — has  had  to  sift  immense  quantities  of  chaff  to  obtain 
a  few  grains  of  wheat;  but  that,  once  gained,  becomes  the 
bread  af  life;  it  is  the  fruit  of  the  tree  whose  leaves  are 
for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  In  no  other  way  than 
through  the  careful  investigation  of  Spiritualism  can  we 
gain  the  absolute  knowledge — the  answer  to  the  question 


A  Guide  to  Mediutnship 


43 


of  Job,  “If  a  man  die,  shall  he  live  again?”  and  know  that 
life  is  continuous  and  progressive. 

‘The  “dwellers  on  the  threshold”  are  the  people  who 
“passed  away”  without  having  cultivated  their  spiritual 
natures;  and  the  appellation  does  not  apply  exclusively 
to  those  who  are  prone  to  evil,  but  includes  many  who  are 
bound  by  earthly  ties  through  ignorance  of  the  law  and 
conditions  of  spirit  life. 

‘They  may  have  led  moral  lives  on  earthr  and  have 
been  debarred  through  religious  training  or  prejudices 
from  the  study  of  life  in  the  spirit  world.  Such  spirits 
cannot  be  classed  with  the  vicious,  and  only  need  to  have 
the  way  pointed  out  to  them  to  gladly  hail  the  opportunity 
to  progress  beyond  earthly  environments,  and  are  fre¬ 
quently  brought  to  a  realization  of  their  condition  and 
position  through  coming  into  relations  with  mediums. 
Sometimes  spirits  of  this  class  attempt  to  control  mediums 
while  still  bound  in  the  thralls  of  their  old  theological 
ideas,  and  give  utterance  to  views  which  are  tinctured 
with  their  earthly  beliefs,  but  if  earnest  in  their  desires 
to  obtain  light  they  soon  pass  out  of  such  conditions  of 
darkness.  ’ 

TEACH  THE  SPIRITS. 

Mr.  Morton  continues:  ‘Spirits  who  are  in  the  con¬ 
ditions  already  described  need  instruction,  and  should  not 
be  repelled,  but  led  to  contrast  their  present  state  with 
that  which  they  were  taught  in  life  to  believe  was  to  be 
their  portion  after  death,  and  to  have  the  way  pointed  out 
by  which  they  may  obtain  a  knowledge  of  their  true  rela¬ 
tions  in  the  world  in  which  they  live.  .  .  The  principal 
harm  arising  from  having  such  controls  is  the  conflict  be¬ 
tween  their  teachings  and  those  of  more  advanced  spirits, 
creating  confusion  and  doubt  in  the  minds  of  sceptics,  or 
confirming  some  investigators  in  their  beliefs  in  the  erron¬ 
eous  teachings  of  theologians.  Much  good  has  been  ac¬ 
complished  by  well-developed  mediums  in  assisting  such 
benighted  spirits  to  obtain  a  realization  of  their  spiritual 
condition,  but  this  should  not  be  attempted  in  a  con¬ 
tentious  or  denunciatory  spirit.  Denunciation  and  intol- 


44 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


erance  are  not  consistent  with  the  spiritual  philosophy. 
All  honest  belief  is  entitled  to  respectful  treatment,  whether 
held  by  mortal  or  spirit ;  and  if  the  belief  is  erroneous,  the 
only  kind  and  charitable  way  to  correct  it  is  to  lead  the 
person  entertaining  it  to  see  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of 
the  higher  light.’ 

This  brings  us  to  the  consideration  of  a  practice  which 
has  grown  to  considerable  dimensions,  viz.,  that  of  holding 
seances  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  low  and  undeveloped 
spirits  to  control  mediums  with  a  view  to  help  those  spirits 
to  rise.  This  is  a  work  for  which  only  the  wisest  are  fitted. 
There  is  ample  scope  for  humane  service  in  helping  the 
fallen  in  this  state  of  being,  and  assisting  those  occasional 
visitors  who  may  be  brought  to  us  by  ‘teaching  spirits’  for 
their  own  good,  and  to  serve  as  an  object  lesson  to  the  sitters 
— but  to  indiscriminately  invite  the  dwellers  on  the  threshold 
is  dangerous. 

Mr.  Morton,  when  referring  to  the  large  number  of 
the  unprogressed,  vicious,  ignorant,  sensual,  and  criminal 
spirits  who  haunt  the  threshold,  says:  ‘They  require  re¬ 
straint  and  repression  to  prevent  their  gratifying  their 
propensities  and  desires  through  mediums  who  are  not 
sufficiently  developed  or  spiritually  guarded  against  low 
influences,’  and,  we  may  add,  the  assistance  of  the  sittei’s 
is  required  to  help  and  protect  the  medium.  He  should 
not  be  encouraged  to  become  an  ‘open  door’  for  such  spirits 
to  come  through  that  they  may  revel  in  the  recital  of  their 
past  misdeeds,  and  endeavor  to  incite  him  to  follow  in 
their  tracks,  so  that  they  may  sympathetically  gratify  their 
base  passions. 

Truly  repentant  spirits  find  plenty  of  helpers  on  the 
other  side;  and  those  who  desire  to  aid  their  fellow-men 
should  turn  their  attention  to  practical  reform,  teaching, 
and  helpfulness  to  those  around  them  in  this  world  who 
need  sympathy  and  brotherly  service.  The  best  method 
of  decreasing  the  army  of  low  spirits  is  to  assist  them  to 
rise  in  this  world  before  they  go  to  spirit  life.  If  we  stop 
sending  liars  and  knaves  and  self-righteous  hypocrites  into 
the  other  life  there  will  soon  be  few  to  come  back  and 
obsess  mediums.  It  is  only  under  very  exceptional  cir- 


A  Guide  to  M ediumship 


45 


cumstances,  and  with  a  well-developed  and  carefully- 
guarded  and  guided  medium,  that  such  seances  as  we  have 
referred  to  should  be  held,  and  then  only  when  advised  by 
wise  and  powerful  spirit  friends. 

APPRENTICESHIP  NEEDED. 

One  frequent  cause  of  trouble  has  been  the  tendency 
to  rush  young  mediums  into  public  work  too  soon.  Pain¬ 
ful  experiences  are  often  permitted  to  immature  mediums 
by  their  spirit  friends  to  teach  them  a  needed  and  salutary 
lesson,  viz.,  to  retire  into  the  private  circle  and  serve  their 
apprenticeship,  so  that  they  may  secure  proper  develop¬ 
ment  before  they  essay  to  become  public  representatives. 
They  should  avoid  sitting  for  control  when  physically  ex¬ 
hausted,  or  with  sitters  against  whom  they  are  warned  by 
their  impressions.  They  must  learn  to  say  ‘no’  with  deci¬ 
sion;  and  never  yield  to  the  selfish  importunities  of  unwise 
friends  or  ‘phenomena  hunters.’ 

The  true  friends  of  mediums  will  assist  them  in  their 
endeavors  to  conserve  their  energies  and  guard  against 
mistakes.  Appreciation  is  welcome  to  us  all,  especially  to 
sensitives;  and  cold  neglect,  or  unresponsive  reserve,  chills 
and  wounds  the  highly-strung  medium.  Yet  flattery  and 
undiscriminating  praise  are  likely  to  be  equally  injurious, 
by  gratifying  and  stimulating  the  vanity  and  egotism  of 
those  who  should  modestly  use  their  powers  for  the  good  of 
others.  Here,  as  everywhere  else,  tact  and  judgment  and 
kindly  sympathy  will  work  wonders. 

THE  DUTY  OF  SPIRITUALISTS. 

‘It  is  the  sacred  duty  of  believers  in  spirit  communion 
and  angelic  ministrations  to  protect  and  assist,  counsel  and 
encourage,  conscientious  and  earnest  mediums;  and  so  save 
them  from  the  disgrace  of  being  classed  with  unscrupulous 
pretenders  by  requiring  of  all  exponents  of  the  principles  of 
Spiritualism,  and  all  mediums  who  exercise  phenomenal 
gifts,  an  equal  degree,  at  least,  of  truthfulness,  honor,  fidel¬ 
ity,  and  virtue  as  is  expected  from  teachers  in  school,  colleges, 
and  pulpits.* 

*  A.  Morton,  in  ‘Psychic  Studies.’ 


46 


A  Guide  lo  Mediumship 


The  medium  who  is  protected  by  wise  friends  (in  and 
out  of  the  body)  from  flattery,  and  warned  against  self- 
conceit,  is  in  a  happy  position.  It  is  difficult,  but  neces¬ 
sary,  to  ‘keep  a  level  head.’  The  two  most  serious  ob¬ 
stacles  in  the  path  of  young  mediums  are  the  puffing  of 
injudicious  earthly  friends,  and  the  extravagant  promises 
of  egoistic  spirits  who  ‘fool  them  to  the  top  of  their  bent’ 
if  they  find  them  pliable,  ambitious,  and  vain. 

As  a  general  rule,  to  use  a  homely  but  expressive 
phrase,  ‘birds  of  a  feather  flock  together,’  and  unless  there 
’s  some  point  of  contact,  (it  may  be  temporary  only)  low 
.spirits  cannot  attach  themselves  to  a  medium.  ‘Degraded 
persons  in  this  life  do  not  seek  associations  which  offer  no 
opportunities  for  the  gratification  of  their  propensities,  or, 
if  casually  brought  into  the  sphere  of  their  superiors  in 
morality  and  intelligence,  they  soon  desist  from  their  evil 
efforts  if  met  in  a  spirit  of  kindness,  and  this  holds  good 
as  regards  the  law  of  association  between  spirits  and  me¬ 
diums.  ’  A  firm  and  decided,  but  kindly  attitude,  and  a 
high-souled  motive,  will  be  a  safeguard,  especially  when 
the  sitters  are  sincere  and  high-minded  also. 

THE  RESPONSIBILITY  OP  MEDIUMS. 

It  is  important  that  mediums  should  recognize  that 
they  must  share  the  responsibility  for  their  utterances, 
and  not  seek  to  evade  it  by  blaming  the  spirits.  Speaking 
on  this  point,  Professor  Iloveland  says:  ‘I  have  heard 
mediums  defend  their  utterances  on  the  ground  that  it 
was  not  themselves  but  their  controls  who  gave  the  objec¬ 
tionable  language.  But  this  will  be  found  a  poor  defence 
in  law,  and  a  much  poorer  one  before  the  bar  of  conscience. 
The  primary  responsibility  is  back  of  the  act;  it  lies  in  the 
yielding  to  the  controlling  influence.’  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  Mr.  Morton  expresses  a  great  truth  when  he 
declares  that  ‘It  is  not  a  valid  excuse  for  any  medium  who 
is  guilty  of  deception,  or  who  indulges  in  sensuality,  to 
charge  his  lapses  from  truth,  and  other  vicious  practices, 
upon  decarnated  spirits.  The  adage  that  “a  man  is  known 
by  the  company  he  keeps”  applies  to  mediums  equally  with 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


47 


other  mortals,  and  the  medium  who  continues  to  attract, 
low  influences  should  not  be  countenanced  or  sustained  by 
decent  people,  nor  be  permitted  to  practise  as  teacher  of 
a  truth  so  sacred  as  that  of  communion  with  the  loved 
ones  who  have  passed  from  mortal  sight.  It  is  right  that 
charity  should  be  extended  to  those  who  are  earnestly 
striving  to  overcome  evil  tendencies,  even  if  they  do  oc¬ 
casionally  stumble  by  the  wayside ;  but  the  tricksters  who 
persistently  trifle  with  sacred  matters  deserve  to  be  dealt 
with  by  strict  justice.  The  admonition  to  “Go  and  sin  no 
more”  drew  the  veil  of  forgiveness  and  charity  over  past 
offences,  but  offered  no  excuse  for  continuance  in  wrong¬ 
doing.’  This  is  the  more  true  and  imperative  because  ‘  It 
is  within  the  pow'er  of  mediums  to  attract  a  class  of  con¬ 
trols  who  will  protect  them  from  low  spirits,  except  such 
as  are  brought  to  them  to  learn  the  way  “from  darkness 
unto  light.”  Away,  then,  with  the  fear  of  evil  spirits; 
cultivate  faith  in  the  angels,  and  make  your  aspirations 
for  the  good  and  the  true  a  wall  of  protection  from  all 
evil.’ 

SELF-PROTECTION  BY  SELF-POSSESSION. 

A  spirt  friend  of  ours  states  that  he  is  a  member  of 
a  brotherhood  in  spirit  life  which  has  as  its  motto:  ‘Truth 
is  our  creed:  love  is  our  force;  purity  is  our  safeguard.’ 
This  is  worth  considering  and  employing  in  this  world. 
No  path  is  free  from  difficulty  and  danger,  and  the  stud¬ 
ent  in  this  l’ealm  will  not  find  that  ignorance  is  bliss,  by 
any  means.  On  the  contrary,  he  must  endeavor  to  under¬ 
stand  and  cultivate  his  own  spiritual  powers,  and  bend  his 
energies  in  tlie  direction  of  psychic  self-mastery.  We 
would  urge  our  friendly  reader  to  learn  how  to  become 
positive  to  all  influences  calculated  to  injure,  and  re¬ 
ceptive  to  impressions  from,  and  the  guidance  of,  those 
spirits  who  are  intelligent  and  trustworthy.  Self-realiza¬ 
tion  and  self-possesion  on  this  plane  are  the  true  safe¬ 
guards.  Then  the  development  of  the  psychic  nature 
along  the  lines  of  spirtual  aspiration,  the  wise  and  earnest 
seeking  of  the  best  and  the  highest,  will  bring  happiness 
beyond  compute. 


48 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


The  medium  who  maintains  his  health  of  body  and 
vigor  of  mind  will  naturally  experience  the  reactive  edu¬ 
cational  results  of  his  association  with  intelligent  spirit 
preceptors.  If  his  purposes  are  pure  and  high  he  will 
enjoy  a  fulness  and  richness  of  spiritual  life  which  will 
amply  compensate  him  for  the  supposed  ‘sacrifice  of  in¬ 
dividuality’  of  which  we  hear  so  much.  What  gladness 
can  equal  that  which  must  thrill  him  when  he  knows  that 
through  his  agency  the  veil  of  death  has  been  lifted,  and 
sundered  hearts  again  beat  as  one?  What  joy  can  com- 
pai’e  with  the  happiness  which  the  sensitive  must  exper¬ 
ience  when  he  knows  that  he  has  been  instrumental  in  dis¬ 
persing  the  mists  of  error  and  fear  regarding  the  future 
life,  and  banishing  dread  of  death  and  God  from  the  minds 
of  the  doubting  and  distressed  sufferers  of  earth?  If  the 
medium  is  sometimes  cruelly  misjudged,  wrongfully  ac¬ 
cused  and  condemned,  the  consciousness  of  having  been 
true  to  right  and  truth  will  sustain  him.  The  memory  of 
the  hours  of  exaltation,  when,  from  the  heights  of  spiritual 
illumination,  the  inner  self  looked  out  upon  the  great  spir¬ 
itual  realm  and  rejoiced  in  its  at-one-ment  with  the  Su¬ 
preme — when  it  triumphed  over  its  limitations  and  real¬ 
ized  its  divinity  and  destiny— is  a  source  of  strength  even 
in  the  darkest  hours  of  reaction  and  human  weakness.  To 
hear,  from  the  trembling  lips  of  the  mourner,  the  cheering 
words,  ‘  Oh !  thank  you  so  much  for  letting  my  loved  one 
come  to  speak  to  me’;  or,  ‘That  message  has  lifted  such 
a  terrible  load  from  my  heart’;  or,  after  an  inspired  and 
inspiring  discourse,  the  sincerely-spoken  words,  ‘Thank 
you!  Your  address  has  helped  me  more  than  you  know 
or  can  understand,’  is  recompense  indeed  to  the  medium 
for  any  trial  or  suffering  he  may  have  endured. 

The  delight  of  doing  good ;  of  helping  others ;  of  lifting 
the  load  of  care;  of  ministering  to  the  mind  diseased;  of 
wiping  the  tears  from  the  mourner’s  eyes  and  making  life 
worth  living,  because  there  is  no  death,  is  a  perpetual  joy. 
Surely,  difficulties  and  dangers  are  worth  facing  and  over¬ 
coming  in  the  service  of  humanity  and  the  angels,  and  for 
the  good  cause  of  Truth,  when  one  knows  the  abiding 
pleasure  which  such  altruistic  labors  can  afford! 


J  Guide  to  Mediums})  tp 


45 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  DIFFERENT  PHASES  OF  MEDIUMSIIIP. 

There  are  diversities  of  gifts. — 1  Cor.  xii.  6. 

What  most  puzzles  me  is,  not  that  they  (spirits)  some¬ 
times  signal  through  the  veil,  but  that  they  do  not  signal 
all  along. — Rev.  John  Page  Hopps. 

When  mediumship  is  truly  understood,  both  less  and 
more  will  be  expected  and  obtained  through  its  agency 
than  has  been  the  ease  hitherto.  Less  will  be  expected 
from  those  in  spirit-life  who  give  the  bulk  of  the  messages 
ordinarily  received,  but  more  will  be  demanded  and  wel¬ 
comed  from  higher  celestial  sources,  because  aspirations 
will  reach  higher,  and  the  science  of  spiritual  telegraphy 
will  be  better  understood. — W.  J.  Colville. 

I 

The  objective  phenomena  which  transpire  in  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  mediums  are,  as  a  rule,  developed  in  what  is  called 
the  ‘spirit  circle,’  although  there  have  been  many  instances 
in  which  these  occurrences  have  been  spontaneous,  burst¬ 
ing  out  in  fashion  among  people  totally  ignorant  of 
the  whole  subject,  and  sometimes  strongly  opposed 
to  the  idea  of  spirits  or  ‘ghosts’  being  near  them. 
These  manifestations  are  generally  regarded  as  ‘haunt- 
ings,  ’  and  are  spoken  of  as  due  to  the  presence  of  evil 
spirits,  but  almost  invariably  they  are  found  to  occur  when 
certain  persons  are  present,  such  individuals  usually  fall¬ 
ing  under  suspicion,  although  they  may  be  the  innocent 
agents  from  whom  the  unseen  operators  derive  the  power 
which  they  employ.  These  natural  psychics  unconsciously 
supply  the  spirits  with  the  requisite  elements  for  their 
manifestations;  some  of  them  do  not  desire  to  become  me- 


50 


A  Guide  to  MediumsJiip 


diums;  tire  not  at  all  interested  in  the  subject;  do  not  feel 
called  upon  to  suffer  for  or  serve  their  fellows  in  the  ca¬ 
pacity  of  mediums,  and  are  only  prevailed  upon  with  much 
difficulty  to  participate  in  the  experiments  which  usually 
follow  and  which  to  other  people  are  so  important.  In¬ 
deed,  some  mediumistic  persons  are  strongly  opposed  to 
the  whole  tiling,  and  keenly  resent  the  actions  of  the  spir¬ 
its  who  draw  upon  their  psychic  force  for  the  production 
of  these  phenomena. 

RECORDS  SHOULD  BE  KEPT. 

"When  a  medium  for  strong  physical  phenomena  has 
been  developed  in  a  private  and  harmonious  circle,  rec¬ 
ords  of  the  occurrences  should  be  carefully  made  and 
signed,  and  the  conditions  under  which  the  phenomena 
take  place  should  be  observed  and  accurately  stated.  The 
sitters  should  be  guided  by  the  wishes  of  the  spirits,  and 
refuse  to  admit  strangers  or  visitors  without  their  per¬ 
mission.  After  a  time,  as  the  development  progresses,  the 
medium  and  his  spirit  friends  may  be  strong  enough  to 
undertake  independent  public  work  without  the  assistance 
and"  protection  of  a  circle,  in  the  same  manner  as  did  D. 
DATiome,  Slade,  Eglinton,  and  other  noted  public  me¬ 
diums  :  but  they  should  be  in  no  hurry  about  doing  so,  and 
they  need  to  be  very  self-possessed  and  level-headed  to 
hold  their  own  against  the  ‘phenomena  hunters’  on  the 
one  side  (who  sap  out  the  very  life  of  the  sensitive),  and 
the  know-all,  conceited  sceptics  on  the  other  side  (who 
freeze  up  all  the  psychic  conditions),  and  before  whom  it 
is  worse  than  foolish  to  east  these  pearls  of  great  price. 

PUBLIC  MEDIUMS  NOT  TO  BE  ENVIED. 

The  lot  of  the  public  ‘physical,’  ‘test,’  and  ‘claircoy- 
ant’  medium  is  not  to  be  envied  or  lightly  chosen.  Such 
sensitives  frequently  suffer  a  martyrdom  that  none  but 
sensitives  can  realize.  What  with  foolish  flatterers ;  the 
sitters  who  are  never  content,  but  cry,  ‘Give,  ‘give,’  ‘give’; 
the  injudicious  friends,  who,  seeing  the  exhaustion  of  the 
worn-out  medium,  in  mistaken  sympathy  urge  them  to 


4.  Guide  to  Mediumship 


51 


take  stimulants  (instead  of  securing  them  rest  and  change 
of  surroundings),  they  have  a  hard  road  to  travel,  and  our 
sincercst  sympathy  goes  out  to  them  all.  We  plead  for 
them.  We  bespeak  kindly  and  humane  consideration. 
Too  frequently  they  are  tried  and  condemned  unheard. 
They  are  expected  to  prove  that  they  are  not  frauds  in¬ 
stead  of,  as  in  other  eases,  being  accepted  as  reputable 
people.  So  much  has  this  been  the  case  that  some  me¬ 
diums  of  unquestioned  power  have  retired  into  private 
life  and  business  pursuits,  where  they  meet  with  the  re¬ 
spect  and  recognition  which  were  denied  them  while  they 
were  public  workers  in  the  ranks  of  Spiritualism.  Let  us 
not  be  misunderstood.  In  saying  this  we  are  not  apologiz¬ 
ing  for,  or  palliating  fraud  or  wrongdoing,  but  merely 
asking  for  fair  and  considerate  treatment — not  hasty,  un¬ 
reasoning  condemnation.  While  it  is  true  that  medium- 
ship  has  many  compensations,  and  the  medium  who  takes 
pleasure  in  his  work  has  many  pleasant  experiences,  it  is 
also  true  that  the  public  professional  medium  is  too  fre¬ 
quently  subjected  to  treatment  which  makes  his  task  more 
difficult  and  thankless  than  it  need  be.  The  kindly  and 
appreciative  treatment  which  he  receives  from  some  sit¬ 
ters  is  a  welcome  stimulus,  and  affords  good  conditions 
for  the  spirits,  who  are  thus  enabled  to  operate  to  the  best 
advantage. 

THE  VALUE  OF  PHENOMENA. 

Physical  phenomena  are  especially  valuable  when  they 
afford  evidences  of  spirit  identity.  Materializations  sel¬ 
dom  supply  proofs  of  the  personal  identity  of  the  opera¬ 
tors,  but  are  interesting  displays  of  the  skill  of  the  spirit 
modeller  in  building  up  a  palpable  form.  A  writer  in  the 
‘Harbinger  of  Light’  very  forcibly  says:  ‘A  good  psy¬ 
chographic  medium  will  usually  obtain  writing  between 
closed  slates,  which  may  be  brought  by  the  investigator, 
who  can  insist  upon  their  not  leaving  his  sight,  and  not 
even  leaving  his  hand.  We  have  obtained  writing  on  pa¬ 
per  that  we  had  previously  marked,  which  was  then  cov¬ 
ered  by  our  own  hand  and  in  friend’s,  and  was  untouched 
by  the  medium.  On  another  occasion,  a  slate  which  we 


52 


A  Guide  to  Mediums])  ip 


had  personally  cleaned  was  laid  on  the  floor  (fully  six  feet 
from  the  medium)  with  a  small  piece  of  pencil  under  it 
(in  broad  daylight),  and  on  taking  it  up  shortly  after¬ 
wards  there  was  found  written  on  the  under  side  a  long 
message  of  a  private  nature  from  a  deceased  friend,  of 
whom  we  were  not  thinking.  Such  phenomena  as  these 
are  still  good  and  impressive,  they  cannot  be  counterfeited 
under  like  conditions,  and  even  when  no  proof  of  identity 
is  given  in  connection  with  the  writings,  they  point  so  dis¬ 
tinctly  to  the  action  of  a  discrete  disembodied  intelligence 
as  to  compel  the  recognition  of  their  spiritual  origin. 
The  evidential  utility  of  physical  phenomena  lies  in  their 
being  inimitable  by  fraud.  Colorable  imitations  can  of 
course  be  made  which  might  satisfy  the  credulous  and 
gullible,  but  the  conditions  for  testing  the  phenomena  we 
have  specially  referred  to  are  so  simple  that  no  rational 
investigator  need  be  deceived;  first,  to  be  sure  that  the 
slate,  paper,  or  panel  to  be  used  is  perfectly  blank ;  second, 
that  it  does  not  leave  the  hand  of  the  inquirer,  or  if  it  does, 
that  it  is  marked  in  such  a  way  that  there  can  be  no  doubt 
_of  its  identification  when  it  returns  to  him ;  and  thirdly 
(with  paintings),  to  observe  if  the  paint  be  wet,  and  note 
the  time  occupied  in  their  production.’ 

NOT  ALWAYS  ENTRANCED. 

Mediums  for  the  production  of  physical  phenomena 
are  not  always  entranced,  as  the  power  can  be  drawn  from 
them  and  uitlized  for  many  striking  manifestations  while 
they  are  in  their  normal  condition.  Professor  Loveland 
says:  ‘Many  of  the  best  mediums  in  the  world  were  never 
entranced  in  the  sense  of  being  in  an  unconscious  sleep. 
And  it  is  doubtful  whether  that  condition  is  desirable. 
The  Fox  girls,  and  most,  if  not  all  the  original  rapping 
medhims,  were  never  in  the  deep  sleep  trance.  It  is  not 
necessary  for  any  of  the  physical  manifestations,  and  that 
includes  a  very  large  percentage  of  all  the  spirit  pheno¬ 
mena,  The  rappings,  tippings,  movings,  slate  writings, 
automatic  writings,  paintings,  telegraphing,  voices,  mater¬ 
ializing,  etc.,  can  all  occur  without  the  sleep  trance,  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


53' 


reason  for  which  is  very  apparent,  as  in  the  production 
of  such  phenomena  the  spirits  simply  use  the  surplus  rad¬ 
iated  nerve-force  of  the  medium.’ 

Sir  Wm.  Crookes,  who  speaking  in  1895  of  D.  D.  Home 
and  Busapia  Paladino,  said  : — 

'Most,  if  not  all,  of  the  occurrences  with  Busapia  seem 
to  have  taken  place  when  she  was  in  a  trance,  and  the 
more  complete  the  trance  the  more  striking  the  pheno¬ 
mena.  This  was  not  always  so  with  Home.  Cei’tainlv  the 
two  most  striking  things  I  ever  saw  with  him,  the  fire  test 
and  visible  forms,  were  to  be  observed  while  he  was  en¬ 
tranced,  but  it  was  not  always  easy  to  tell  when  he  was 
in  that  state,  for  he  spoke  and  moved  about  almost  as  if 
he  were  in  his  normal  condition ;  the  chief  differences  be¬ 
ing  that  his  actions  Avere  more  deliberate,  and  his  manner 
and  expressions  more  solemn,  and  he  always  spoke  of  him¬ 
self  in  the  third  person,  as  “Dan.” 

DARKNESS  NOT  NECESSARY. 

‘When  he  was  not  in  a  trance  Ave  frequently  had  move¬ 
ments  of  objects  in  different  parts  of  the  room,  Avith  visible 
hands  carrying  flowers  about  and  playing  the  accordion. 
On  one  occasion  I  Avas  asked  by  Home  to  look  at  the  accor¬ 
dion  as  is  was  playing  in  the  semi-darkness  beneath  the 
table.  I  srav  a  delicate-looking  female  hand  holding  it  by 
the  handle,  and  the  keys  at  the  lower  end  rising  and  fall¬ 
ing  as  if  fingers  Avere  playing  on  them,  although  I  could 
not  see  them.  So  lifelike  Avas  the  hand  that  at  first  I  said 
it  was  my  sistei'-in-law’s,  but  Avas  assured  by  all  present 
that  both  her  hands  AA’ere  on  the  table,  a  fact  which  I  then 
Aerified  for  myself.’ 

Mrs.  Everitt,  of  Hendon,  London,  constantly  receives 
CA'idences  of  the  presence  of  her  spirit  friends  while  she  is 
perfectly  normal.  We  have  heard  rappings  and  witnessed 
movemnts  of  physical  objects  in  her  presence,  while  hold¬ 
ing  friendly  conversation  with  her,  when  we  have  been  in 
a  good  light.  Frequently,  at  meal  times,  the  spirits  an¬ 
nounce  their  presence  by  raps,  and  respond  to  the  saluta¬ 
tions  and  questions  of  their  medium  and  other  members 
of  the  family. 


54 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


SIR  W.  CROOKES  AND  D.  D.  HOME. 

Sir  Wililam  Crookes  said:  ‘Home  always  refused  to 
sit  in  the  dark.  He  said  that,  with  firmness  and  persever¬ 
ance,  the  phenomena  could  be  got  just  as  well  in  the  light, 
and  even  if  some  of  the  things  were  not  so  strong,  the  evi¬ 
dence  of  one’s  eyesight  was  worth  making  some  sacrifice 
for.  In  almost  all  the  seances  I  had  with  Home  there  was 
plenty  of  light  to  see  all  that  occurred,  and  not  only  to 
enable  me  to  write  down  notes  of  what  was  taking  place, 
but  to  read  my  notes  without  difficulty.  Home  was  very 
anxious  to  let  everyone  present  be  satisfied  that  he  was  not 
doing  any  of  the  things  himself — too  anxious,  I  sometimes 
thought,  for  frequently  he  would  interfere  with  the  prog¬ 
ress  and  development  of  what  was  going  on  by  insisting 
that  some  sceptic  or  other  should  come  around  and  take 
hold  of  his  hands  and  feet  to  be  sure  he  was  not  doing 
anything  himself.  At  times,  lie  would  push  his  chair  back 
and  move  right  away  from  the  table  when  things  were 
moving  on  it,  and  ask  those  farthest  from  him  to  come 
round  and  satisfy  themselves  that  he  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  movements.  I  used  frequently  to  beg  him  to  be 
quiet,  knowing  that,  if  he  would  not  move  about  in  his 
eagerness  to  convince  us  of  his  genuineness,  the  strength 
of  the  phenomena  would  probalv  increase  to  such  a  degree 
that  no  further  evidence  would  be  needed  that  their  pro¬ 
duction  was  beyond  the  powers  of  the  medium. 

‘During  the  whole  of  my  knowledge  of  D.  D.  Home, 
extending  for  several  years,  I  never  once  saw  the  slightest 
occurrence  that  would  make  me  suspicious  that  he  was  at¬ 
tempting  to  play  tricks.  He  was  scrupulously  sensitive 
on  this  point,  and  never  felt  hurt  at  anyone  taking  pre¬ 
caution  against  deception.  He  sometimes,  in  the  early 
days  of  our  acquaintance,  used  to  say  to  me  before  a 
seance,  “Now,  William,  I  want  you  to  act  as  if  I  was  a 
recognized  conjurer,  and  was  going  to  cheat  you  and  play 
all  the  tricks  I  could.  Take  every  precaution  you  can  de¬ 
vise  against  me,  and  move  about  and  look  under  the  table 
or  where  else  you  like.  Don’t  consider  my  feelings.  I 
shall  not  be  offended.  I  know  that  the  more  carefully  I 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


55 


am  tested  the  more  convinced  will  everyone  be  that  these 
abnormal  occurrences  are  not  of  my  own  doings.”  Lat¬ 
terly,  I  used  jokingly  to  say  to  him,  “Let  us  sit  round  the 
fire  and  have  a  quiet  chat,  and  see  if  our  friends  are  here 
and  will  do  anything  for  us.  We  won’t  have  any  tests  or 
precautions.”  On  these  occasions,  when  only  my  own 
family  were  present  with  him,  some  of  the  most  convincing 
phenomena  took  place.’ 


D.  D.  HOME  AN  UPRIGHT  MAN. 

In  justice  to  Mr.  Home,  perhaps  the  most  wonderful 
medium  of  modern  times,  we  insert  here,  in  addition  to 
what  has  already  been  said,  the  following  tribute  to  his 
nobility  and  sincerity  by  Sir  William  Crookes:  ‘I  think 
it  is  a  cruel  thing  that  a  man  like  D.  D.  Home,  gifted  with 
such  extraordinary  powers,  and  always  willing,  nay,  anx¬ 
ious,  to  place  himself  at  the  disposal  of  men  of  science  for 
investigation,  should  have  lived  so  many  years  in  London, 
and,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  no  one  of  weight  in  the 
scientific  world  should  have  thought  it  worth  while  to  look 
into  the  truth  or  falsity  of  things  which  were  being  talked 
about  in  society  on  all  sides.  To  those  who  knew  him. 
Home  was  one  of  the  most  lovable  of  men,  and  his  perfect 
genuineness  and  uprightness  were  beyond  suspicion,  but 
by  those  who  did  not  know  him  he  was  called  a  charlatan, 
and  those  who  believed  in  him  were  considered  little  better 
than  lunatics.  ’  * 

NOT  TRIVIAL  OR  UNWORTHY. 

We  need  not  do  more  than  refer,  in  passing,  to  the  ob¬ 
jections  of  those  who  regard  the  tilting  and  rapping  of 
tables,  the  ringing  of  bells,  and  other  phenomena  of  the 
kind  as  ‘trivial,’  and  ‘undignified,’  and  ‘unworthy  of 
spirits  from  the  other  world.’  We  do  not  deem  it  trivial 
or  undignified  to  lift  the  knocker  and  rap  the  door,  or 
ring  the  door  bell,  when  we  call  upon  our  friends  and  wish 
to  make  them  aware  of  our  presence.  May  it  not  be  our 
materialistic  tendencies  which  compel  the  spirits  to  employ 


*  ‘Light,’  January  19th,  1895. 


56 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


phvsicial  means  of  reaching  us  because  ‘having  eyes  we 
see  not,  and  having  ears  we  hear  not,’  and  are  unrespon¬ 
sive  to  all  their  appeals  upon  the  more  spiritual  plane? 
Further,  this  asserted  ‘umvorthiness’  assumes  the  very 
point  which  the  phenomena  are  intended  to  prove,  viz., 
that  there  are  people  in  the  other  world  to  communicate 
with  us.  Sceptics  have  doubted  and  denied  the  existence 
of  the  spirit  world,  and  so  the  spirit  people  have  been 
compelled  to  choose  these  methods  to  break  through  the 
materialistic  incrustations  with  which  we  have  surrounded 
ourselves.  By  and  bye,  possibly,  we  shall  obtain  the  open 
vision  and  the  listening  ear,  and  instead  of  compelling  the 
spirits  to  come  down  to  our  level  we  may  ascend  to  their 
plane  of  light  and  ‘know  as  we  are  known.’  But,  until 
then,  the  outward  and  visible  signs  and  wonders  will  still 
be  requisite,  and  physical  demonstrations  of  ‘psychic 
force,’  ‘associated  with  and  governed  by  Intelligence, 
demonstrably  other  than  that  of  the  mediums  and  the 
sitters,’  will  still  be  efficacious,  as  they  were  with  Sir  Wm, 
Crookes  and  Dr.  A.  E.  Wallace. 

HELPFUL  SITTERS. 

There  are  many  persons  who,  although  they  are  not 
particularly  mediumistic,  possess  a  peculiar  psychical 
power  which  is  very  helpful  to  young  mediums.  They  are 
good  sitters  in  a  ‘developing  circle.’  They  may  not  do 
anything,  or  say  much,  but  their  influence  is  congenial, 
and  sensitives  like  to  sit  beside  them.  These  persons  are 
fountains  (or  reservoirs)  of  force  which  the  spirits  can 
draw  upon,  and  the  medium  is  thus  greatly  assisted  by 
their  presence. 

conscious  MEDIUMS. 

Persons  of  the  mediumistic  temperament,  although 
they  do  not  have  objective  evidences  of  spirit  presence,  oT 
even  the  personal  experience  of  spirit  influence  to  the  ex¬ 
tent  of  being  controlled,  may  yet  be  conscious  that  they 
are  acted  upon  by,  and  receive  ideas,  suggestions,  and  im¬ 
pressions  from,  outside  intelligences.  They  act  and  speak 
'on  the  spur  of  the  moment;’  they  see  things  ‘with  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


57 


mind’s  eye;’  they  are  conscious  of  being  impelled — even 
compelled — to  do  or  say  things  which  apparently  bear  no 
relation  to  what  has  gone  before,  and  for  which,  if  chal¬ 
lenged,  they  cannot  give  any  satisfactory  reason.  They 
simply  £liad  to  do  it.’ 

FOREIGN  CONTROLS. 

It  is  a  common  experience  for  a  sensitive,  in  the  early 
days  of  his  development,  to  be  influenced  by  foreign  spirits 
and  to  find  himself  more  or  less  consciously  uttering 
sounds  which,  for  aught  he  knows,  may  be  the  merest 
gibberish.  There  are  several  reasons  for  this.  One  of  the 
most  frequent  causes  will  be  found  in  the^fear  of  the  me¬ 
dium  that  lie  may  in  any  way  be  a  party  to  deception  or 
even  deceive  himself.  Owing  to  this  feeling  he  resists  all 
the  attempts  of  the  spirit  to  compel  him  to  speak,  lest  it 
should  be  the  result  of  the  operations  of  his  own  mind  in 
some  unknown  and  inexplicable  fashion,  and  thus,  while 
he  desires  development,  he  renders  the  efforts  of  the 
spirits  nugatory  by  his  nervousness.  It  is,  moreover,  gen¬ 
erally  affirmed  that  Indians  are  natural  Spiritualists,  and 
are,  therefore,  experienced  in  such  matters.  When  they 
reach  the  other  side  they  are  able  to  exert  a  more  power¬ 
ful  influence  upon  mediums  than  the  spirit  friends  and 
relations  of  the  sitters  can  do,  because  they  lived  a  more 
physically  natural  life,  with  fewer  strains  and  drains  upon 
their  psychic  and  vital  forces  than  Europeans  are  com¬ 
pelled  to  endure,  and  are  therefore  more  magnetically 
positive.  Then,  too,  they  have  less  to  unlearn,  and  are 
more  observant  and  apt  in  adjusting  themselves  to  their 
new  environments.  Not  only  so,  but  a  sensitive  when 
under  their  influence  is  not  able  to  understand  what  is 
being  spoken  by  and  through  his  lips,  and  does  not  grow 
nervous  and  antagonistic  as  he  would  do  if  English  words 
were  being  uttered ;  consequently,  he  feels  that  he  is  not 
speaking  of  himself,  and  allows  the  influence  to  proceed — 
generally  with  a  curious  feeling  of  detachment  from  him¬ 
self  which  awakens  a  desire  to  see  what  will  be  the  out¬ 


come. 


58 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


FRIENDS  AND  PROTECTORS. 

Many  Indian  spirits  become  true  and  faithful  friends. 
They  act  as  protectors — ‘doorkeepers,’  so  to  speak — to 
their  mediums.  They  do  the  hard  work  of  development 
in  the  circle,  and  prevent  the  intrusion  of  undesirable 
spirits.  Sometimes  they  are  boisterous  and  exuberant  in 
their  operations  and  manifestations,  and,  while  we  do  not 
share  the  prejudices  which  are  expressed  against  them, 
we  think  it  is  wise  to  exercise  a  restraining  influence  over 
their  demonstrations.  They  generally  possess  strong  heal¬ 
ing  power,  and  frequently  put  their  mediums  through  a 
course  of  calistlienic  exercises — wrhich,  although  beneficial 
to  the  health  of  the  medium  and,  in  the  presence  of  a  few 
friends,  may  pass  without  adverse  comment,  would  prob¬ 
ably  cause  criticism  if  performed  in  a  public  assembly. 
Personally,  we  are  deeply  indebted  to  spirits  of  this  class, 
who  have  been  trustworthy  helpers  and  kindly  counsellors, 
and  we  gratefully  make  this  acknowledgment  as  a  mat¬ 
ter  of  justice  and  right. 

IMPERSONATING  AND  TEST  MEDIUMSHIP. 

An  impersonating  medium  is  one  who  is  so  thoroughly 
controlled  by  a  spirit  as  to  accurately  represent  and  dis¬ 
play  the  characteristics  and  peculiarities  of  that  spirit. 
The  test  medium  when  entranced,  whether  in  the  deep  un¬ 
conscious  condition  or  in  the  semi-trance  state,  will  often 
reproduce  the  symptoms  of  the  illness,  and  enact  the  scene 
of  the  last  few  moments  prior  to  the  release  of  the  spirit 
from  the  mortal  form.  Such  impersonations  are  generally 
so  exact  and  striking,  and  are  so  often  accompanied  by 
ejaculations  wrhich  call  to  mind  the  last  earthly  utterances 
of  the  spirit  who  is  seeking  to  manifest,  that  they  are  of 
a  most  convincing  and  consoling  character.  It  is,  howr- 
ever,  unwise  for  sitters  to  stipulate  that  certain  ‘tests’ 
must  be  given  to  them  before  they  will  believe ;  because 
the  anxiety  and  the  strong  desire  which  they  experience, 
when  visiting  mediums,  frequently  disturb  the  delicate 
psychic  and  mental  conditions,  and  so  prevent  success. 
If,  howmver,  the  particular  test  should  be  given  by  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


59 


medium  it  might  then  be  open  to  the  objection  that  it 
was  a  case  of  ‘telepathy.’  The  best  attitude  is  to  keep 
an  open  mind,  encourage  the  spirits  to  do  their  best  on 
your  behalf,  and  judge  the  results  on  their  inherent  merits. 

TEST  MEDIUMSHIP. 

When  a  spirit  desires  to  establish  his  identity  he  has  to 
endeavor  to  make  the  instrument  speak  his  exact  words, 
so  that  he  can  give  names,  dates,  and  relate  specific  details 
of  his  earth  experiences,  and,  if  possible,  use  phrases  or 
other  turns  of  speech  which  were  characteristic  of  him 
while  here,  so  that  they  will  be  familiar  to  his  friends  and 
carry  to  their  minds  the  conviction  of  his  real  presence. 
To  secure  this  result  a  very  close  rapport  must  be  estab¬ 
lished  between  the  spirit  and  the  medium,  and  the  ‘con¬ 
trol’  must  be  as  perfect  and  as  nearly  ‘automatic’  as 
possible.  Unless  the  instrument  is  extremely  sensitive  and 
responsive,  the  enhancement  must  be  very  deep  to  ensure 
success. 

‘reliable’  mediums. 

We  have  frequently  received  applications  for  intro¬ 
ductions  to  a  ‘good  and  reliable’  ‘test’  or  ‘business’  me¬ 
dium,  or  clairvoyant.  It  will  be  easily  understood,  from 
what  has  already  been  said,  that  success  will  largely  de¬ 
pend  upon  the  sitter  and  the  conditions  provided  by  him. 
We  may  recommend  the  inquirer  to  a  medium  who  is 
sincere  and  honorable,  but  the  psychic  or  mental  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  sitter  may  be  of  such  a  nature  that  they  will 
not  harmonize  with  those  of  the  medium,  and  under  such 
circumstances  (although  both  sitter  and  medium  are  hon¬ 
est  and  well-intentioned)  little  or  nothing  of  any  value 
can  be  given  or  received.  But  the  same  sitter,  visiting 
another  sensitive  with  whom  harmonious  psychic  relations 
can  be  established,  may  find  the  spirit  both  able  and  will¬ 
ing  to  transmit  even  more  than  he  expected  or  desired. 
It  is  well,  therefore,  to  bear  in  mind  that  communications 
from  the  other  side  are  liable  to  be  affected  by  a  number 
of  influences,  and  while  we  are  aware  of  the  limitations 
on  our  side,  we  may  profitably  recognize  that  there  are 


60 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


many  difficulties  which  hamper  the  spirit  communicants 
on  their  side.  The  fact  is  that  to  a  very  large  extent  the 
spirits  are  groping  their  way  to  us  just  as  we  are  feeling 
our  way  towards  them,  and  therefore  patience,  forbear¬ 
ance,  and  kindly  sympathy  are  needed  in  the  endeavor  to 
obtain  trustworthy  messages. 

IMPERSONATING  SPIRITS. 

The  mind  of  the  medium  may  interfere  with  and  affect 
the  message.  lie  may  wrongly  interpret  the  thoughts  that 
reach  him.  The  expectancy  or  anxiety  of  the  sitter  may 
disturb  his  psychic  perceptions.  Other  spirits  may  inter¬ 
fere.  Well-meaning  but  unwise  and  self-assertive  spirits 
— both  in  the  body  and  out — may  entertain  and  express 
ideas  which  they  sincerely  believe,  but  which  are  never¬ 
theless  misleading,  or  entirely  mistaken.  We  know  how 
difficult  it  lias  been  in  some  famous  legal  cases  to  identify 
certain  individuals,  even  on  this  side,  and  it  is  of  necessity 
still  more  difficult  to  be  quite  certain  that  we  know  and 
can  identify  spirit  visitants. 

Some  inquirers  have  experienced  much  trouble  and 
annoyance  with  ‘impersonating  spirits’  who  have  sought 
to  pass  themselves  off  as  relatives  or  acquaintances,  or 
have  posed  as  famous  historical  personages.  As  regards 
the  latter  class,  it  is  so  impossible  to  prove  or  disprove 
their  claims  that  we  are  inclined  to  ask  them  for  evidences 
of  intellectual  and  spiritual  power  and  brilliancy  equal  to 
the  recoi’ded  capabilities  of  the  persons  they  assume  to  be. 
We  attach  no  value  to  names — -we  iuclge  the  message  ac¬ 
cording  to  its  rationality  and  real  worth.  But  as  regards 
spirit  impersonators  who  claim  to  be  relatives  and  friends, 
and  fail  to  substantiate  their  claims,  let  us  point  out  that 
it  is  a  step  gained  when  the  inquirer  is  compelled  to  recog¬ 
nize  that  they  are  discarnate  spirit  people.  The  old  test, 
‘by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,’  holds  good.  Test 
messages  go  a  long  way  as  proofs  of  identity — but  there 
is  a  subtle  psychical  relation — and  there  are  many  little 
things — feelings,  intuitive  perceptions,  and  responsive 
heart  stirrings,  which  we  experience  apart  from,  and  in 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


61 


addition  to,  what  is  said  or  done — that  carry  conviction ; 
or  that  arouse  us  to  the  consciousness  that  some  spirit 
pretender  is  at  work.  We  are  not  afraid  that  level-headed 
people  will  be  misled  very  far ;  and  those  who  are  not 
sufficiently  emancipated  to  feel  above  the  fear  of  Satanic 
agency,  but  dread  the  power  of  what  they  call  ‘demons,’ 
bad  better  let  the  subject  entirely  alone,  and  go  in  for  a 
ourse  of  rationalistic  self-development  and  ‘higher  criti¬ 
cism.  ’ 

DEGREES  OF  TRANCE. 

What  is  called  ‘trance  mediumship’  is  seldom  of  the 
nature  of  the  deep  sleep  of  entire  unconsciousness.*  It  is 
more  frequently  the  suspension  of  the  ordinary  conscious¬ 
ness  of  external  surroundings,  a  temporary  oblivion  on  the 
outer  plane — a  semi-conscious  state,  in  fact — in  which  the 
subject  does  not  retain  the  volitional  ability  to  employ 
his  thinking  powers.  They  have  been  ‘switched  off,’  so 
to  speak,  and  respond  to  the  will  of  the  control. 

In  the  case  of  ‘speaking’  mediumship,  where  general 
and  philosophical  ideas  are  to  be  transmitted,  the  control 
is  of  a  different  order  from  that  exercised  for  test  mani¬ 
festations.  It  is  more  frequently  of  the  nature  of  ‘sug¬ 
gestion.’  The  spirit  mesmerist  suggests  to  the  sensitive  a 
certain  train  of  ideas,  and  then  stimulates  the  brain  and 
the  organs  of  expression  to  do  the  work  of  dressing  up 
the  thoughts  and  giving  them  utterance.  Unless  the  sub¬ 
ject  is  a  scientific  or  a  biographical  one,  in  which  specific 
terms  are  required  and  accurate  data  are  to  be  imparted, 
the  relationship  between  the  ‘inspired’  speaker  and  the 
control  partakes  more  of  the  character  of  the  engineer  who 
feeds  the  fire  and  directs  the  movements  of  his  engine, 
while  the  machine  does  the  work,  than  it  does  of  the 
actual  voicing  of  the  exact  words,  embodying  in  a  full  and 

*  There  are  any  number  of  degrees  of  trance,  from  the  state  of 
complete  catalepsy  to  the  feeling  of  simple  quietude  or  passiveness, 
as  it  is  sometimes  termed.  We  find  the  same  variations  in  our 
natural  sleep;  from  the  profound  and  dreamless  slumber  to  the 
half-waking  condition. — ‘Essay  on  Mediumship.’  Professor  Tx>ve- 
land. 


62  A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

complete  fashion  the  ideas  the  spirit  wishes  to  have  ex¬ 
pressed. 

THE  RELATION  BETWEEN  SPIRIT  AND  MEDIUM. 

At  first  the  operator  may  succeed  but  very  imperfectly 
in  stimulating  the  brain  of  the  sensitive  and  causing  the 
cerebration  and  expression  of  his  thoughts.  The  utter¬ 
ances  may  bear  but  slight  resemblance  to  what  the  spirit 
intended  to  express.  The  vocabulary  is  that  of  the  me¬ 
dium  and  the"  form  in  which  the  speech  is  cast  of  necessity 
partakes  of  the  mould  familiar  to  the  sensitive — but,  by 
continued  close  association  and  frequent  control  of  the 
medium,  the  operator  gains  experience  which  enables  him 
to  exert  a  more  decided  influence ;  and  the  sensitive,  be¬ 
coming  attuned,  responds  to  and  expresses  the  thoughts 
of  the  spirit  with  greater  clearness  and  precision.  Just 
as  those  avIio  dwell  together  unconsciously  approach 
nearer  to  each  other  and  acquire  a  similarity  in  their  mode 
of  thought  and  of  expressing  their  ideas  (the  more  domi¬ 
nant  personality  impressing  itself  upon  the  less  positive), 
so  the  medium  imperceptibly,  and  very  often  uncon¬ 
sciously,  acquires  facility  and  proficiency  in  thought  and 
elocutionary  expression  as  the  result  of  the  co-operation 
between  himself  and  his  spirit  guide. 

Here  is  where  the  work  of  ‘development’  comes  in,  and 
this  is  why  a  medium  should  not  be  rushed  upon  the  public 
platform  before  his  powers  have  been  tried  and  evolved 
by  continuous  association.  Both  spirit  and  medium  need 
experience  and  the  education  which  mutual  experiment 
and  co-operation  afford. 

WRITING:  ‘AUTOMATIC’  AND  ‘iMPREPSIONAL.  ’ 

In  ‘automatic’  writing  the  hand  does  the  work — and, 
as  was  the  case  with  ‘M.A.  (Oxon.),’  the  mind  may  be 
separately  engaged  in  reading  or  study.  In  some  instances 
both  hands  of  the  medium  are  employed  simultaneously, 
and  he  does  not  know  what  has  been  written  until  he 
reads  it  afterwards. 

When  the  writing  is  ‘  impressional’  the  sensitive  knows 
beforehand  what  will  be  written,  or  is  conscious  of  what 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


63 


is  being  given  as  the  hand  writes.  In  all  such  cases  the 
messages — including  those  which  present  statements  of 
matters  of  fact  of  evidential  value  in  establishing  the 
identity  of  the  spirit — should  be  judged  on  their  own 
merits  by  the  usual  standards,  and  should  not  be  accepted 
reverentially  as  true  and  authoritative  simply  because 
they  come  from  an  excarnate  human  being.  If  the 
thoughts  are  wise  and  helpful  and  the  diction  clear  and 
forcible  or  beautiful,  then  such  writings  are  worth  keeping 
for  their  intrinsic  value. 

PROGRESSIVE  DEVELOPMENT. 

Many  mediums  pass  through  different  phases  in  the 
course  of  their  development.  At  first  they  obtain  tilts, 
possibly  raps;  then  their  hands  are  moved  and  they  write; 
subsequently  they  are  unable  to  keep  their  eyes  open  and 
they  fall  asleep.  They  are  sometimes  compelled  to  make 
'passes ’“over  themselves  and  others ;  they  know  what 
they  are  doing,  but  lack  the  power  to  resist  or  prevent  it. 
Their  next  impulse  is  to  try  to  speak,  and  they  gurgle 
and  gasp  and  make  inarticulate  noises;  or  shout,  laugh, 
cry,  or  sing,  and  probably  finish  by  talking  some  jargon 
which  may  be  an  unknown  tongue,  or  merely  a  series  of 
sounds  without  meaning.  By-and-bye  they  are  more 
deeply  entranced  and  are  impelled  to  utter  a  prayer,  or 
make  a  short  speech.  Probably  some  spirit  claims  to  relate 
his  experiences,  and  impersonates  his  death-scene  more 
or  less  successfully.  A  number  of  spirits  may  control  the 
medium  in  rapid  succession,  being  unable  to  ‘hold  the 
fort’  for  more  than  a  few  minutes  each.  As  time  passes 
the  entrancement  deepens,  and  one  or  two  spirits  claim  to 
be  ‘guides’  and  begin  to  direct  proceedings  from  their 
side.  Addresses  are  given  in  the  trance  or  semi-trance 
state,  and  then  the  return  to  more  normal  mediumship 
begins.  In  some  instances  the  eyes  open  and  refuse  to 
shut ;  the  medium  becomes  more  conscious  while  speaking; 
and  finally  the  exalted,  inspirational  stage ’is  reached. 
The  medium  attains  the  ‘superior  condition’  and  is  now 
able  to  normally  employ  his  psychic  energies,  and,  as  a 
clairvoyant,  clairaudient,  psyehometrist,  healer,  or  orator. 


64 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


can  intelligently  exercise  his  natural  abilities,  assisted 
and  stimulated  in  the  work  by  his  spirit  friends.  He  thus 
enters  into  self-possession  and  reaps  the  aggregate  edu¬ 
cational  results  of  his  past  abnormal  experiences.  The 
fruits  of  the  co-operation  are  seen  in  the  marked  increase 
of  the  medium’s  normal  power  and  ability. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


6c 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PSYCHICAL  SUSCEPTIBILITY  AND  MEDIUMSHIP. 

A  medium  is  necessarily  extremely  susceptible — as  sus¬ 
ceptible  as  a  needle  trembling  to  the  Pole,  and  quivering 
to  the  slightest  disturbing  cause ;  and  hence,  unless  cau¬ 
tious  and  guarded,  is  liable  to  be  imposed  upon. — Hudson 
Tuttle. 

When  we  come  to  deal  with  the  development  of  me¬ 
diumship  in  Part  Two,  and  the  cultivation  of  psychic  pow¬ 
ers  in  Part  Three  of  this  ‘Guide,’  we  shall  treat  more 
fully  of  the  methods  for  eliciting  the  susceptibility  tc 
spirit  influence  and  the  normal  exercise  of  psychic  gifts, 
and  therefore  present  these  branches  of  the  subject  at  the 
present  time  in  their  general  bearing  only,  leaving  the 
more  specific  elaboration  for  the  later  sections. 

Clairvoyance,  psychometry,  and  magnetic  healing  are 
frequently  developed  in  mediums  by  spirit  operators,  but 
all  those  who  possess  and  employ  these  powers  are  not  of 

. . ssity  mediums — any  more  than  all  orators,  singers, 

and  writers  are  of  necessity  inspired  or  controlled — they 
may  or  may  not  be.  Those  who  are  naturally  sensitive  can 
themselves  cultivate  and  use  these  faculties,  or  they  may 
be  assisted  in  that  work  by  excarnate  intelligences. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  R.  Ileber  Newton  says:  ‘There  is  some¬ 
thing  in  that  strange  power  by  which  a  man  can  read  the 
past  on  a  lock  of  hair  or  a  scrap  of  handwriting.  These 
are  the  new  powers  entering  into  the  life  of  man,  as  man 
enters  into  the  life  of  spirit.  Whereas,  a  few  years  ago 
those  powers  were  the  belongings  of  but  a  few — the  mys¬ 
tics  and  the  sages — they  are  now  coming  within  our  ordi- 


66  Guide  to  Mediumship 

nary  humanity.  Tt  is  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  of  Goo 
among  men.’ 


MEDIUMSHIP  AND  PSYCHOMETKY. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  psychometry,  the  passive  a 
the  active.  In  the  passive  phase  the  recipient  simply  waits 
to  be  acted  upon  by  the  influence,  and  registers  the  im¬ 
pression  produced;  but  in  the  active  stage  the  psychom¬ 
eter  pushes  .out  on  an  exploration  on  his  own  account, 
.determined  to  wrest  from  the  soul-world  its  secrets.  He 
not  only  seeks  the  information,  but  obtains  it  by  becoming 
consciously  identified  with  the  person  or  place  or  object 
under  consideration.  The  experimenter  may  be  both  a 
medium  and  a  psychometer,  but  the  difference,  as  stated 
by  Mrs.  Denton,  is  this:  ‘The  medium  is  dependent  for 
the  information  he  receives  as  a  medium  upon  intelli¬ 
gences  foreign  to  his  own — upon  others;  hence  the  neces- 
.sity  for  him  to  be  passive,  that  his  will  may  not  intercept 
nor  his  opinions  color  the  communication  being  given 
through  him.  The  psyehometer  must  depend  for  any  in¬ 
formation  he  may  be  able  to  acquire  upon  his  own  powers 
of  recognition,  of  comprehension,  of  discrimination — 
largely  upon  his  own  judgment — as  to  whether  he  is  con¬ 
founding  different  scenes,  characters,  and  conditions,  or 
holding  them  severally  distinct  and  true  to  their  own  be¬ 
longings.’ 

But  many  mediums  are  employed  by  their  spirit  friends 
for  psychometric  experiences.  "While  normally  unable  to 
give  such  readings,  their  spirit  guides  are  able  to  do  so 
through  them.  Still,  Mrs.  Denton’s  contention  is  un¬ 
doubtedly,  in  the  main,  correct;  and  those  mediums  who 
study,  and  seek  to  develop,  their  own  powers,  almost  in¬ 
variable  find,  after  a  time,  that  they  can  successfully  ob¬ 
tain  results  while  in  the  normal  state,  which  formerly 
could  only  be  attained  when  they  were  ‘under  control.’ 

In  almost  all  phases  of  mediumship  this  tendency  is 
observable.  The  cultivation  of  the  psychic  nature  and 
the  evolution  of  its  powers  under  the  abnormal  stimulus 
of  the  ‘suggestion’  and  magnetic  influence  of  the  spirit 
operator,  result  in  the  permanent  liberation  of  those  facul- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


67 


ties,  and  as  the  outcome  of  the  education  thus  acquired, 
the  medium  is  ultimately  normally  benefited,  and  can 
consciously  employ  those  powers  and  co-operate  with  his 
spirit  friends,  so  that  instead  of  being  a  blind,  unconscious 
automaton  he  becomes  an  intelligent  co-worker  with  them. 
Many  speakers  who  at  first  had  to  be  entranced  before 
they  could  address  an  audience  become,  at  a  later  stage, 
very  successful  normal  speakers,  either  with  or  without 
the  inspirational  aid  of  their  spirit  friends. 

THE  POWERS  OF  SPIRITS  LIMITED. 

We  now  know  that  spirits  do  not  oust  the  medium  and 
occupy  his  body  and  brain,  as  one  tenant  follows  another 
and  takes  possession  of  a  house.  The  spirit  does  not  pro¬ 
vide  and  dictate  the  actual  words'To  he  used  by  the  me¬ 
dium,  save  in  very  exceptional  cases,  but  acts  upon  him  by 
‘suggestion/  by  impression,  by  thought-transference,  and 
by  stimulating  his  natural  capabilities.  The  spirit  cannot 
"create  abilities;  he  can  only  quicken  and  intensify  those 
which  are  latent.  lie  cannot  cause  the  medium  to  ex¬ 
ceed  the  range  of  what  is  possible  to  him  when  his  dor¬ 
mant  powers  are  cultivated,  but  he  may,  and  frequently 
does,  cause  him  to  transcend  his  ordinary  abilities,  and 
untimately  brings  up  the  normal  expression  to  the  plane 
of  the  abnormal. 

Hudson  Tuttle  emphatically  expresses  his  opinion  that : 
‘A  medium  cannot  be  controlled  to  do  anything  against 
his  determined  will,  and  the  plea  that  he  is  compelled  by 
spirits  is  no  excuse  for  wrong-doing.  The  medium,  like 
anyone  else,  knows  right  from  wrong,  and  if  the  control¬ 
ling  spirit  urges  towards  the  wrong,  yielding  is  as  repre¬ 
hensible  as  it  would  be  to  the  promptings  of  passion  or 
the  appetites.  While  in  this  earth  life  the  duties  and 
obligations  contracted  therein  are  paramount  to  all  others  ; 
a  proposition  which  must  be  admitted  by  all  right-think¬ 
ing  spirits.  The  medium  who  is  unbiased  in  his  own  mind 
cannot  be  led  away  from  right-doing  by  the  influence  of 
mortals  or  spirits/ 


68 


A  Guide  to  Mediumshtfj 


UNSATISFACTORY  SEANCES. 

How  much  depends  upon  the  sitters  as  regards  the  suc¬ 
cess  or  failure  of  any  given  seance?  Some  people  who 
visit  mediums  are  almost  invariably  successful;  others 
seldom,  if  ever,  obtain  clear  and  convincing  evidences  of 
spirit  identity.  It  is  difficult  to  always  determine  what 
are  the  causes  of  these  differences.  There  is  some  peculiar¬ 
ity  of  sympathy,  of  psychic  rapport,  which  is  not  neces¬ 
sarily  mental  or  moral,  and  yet  it  is  an  openness  of  soul 
requisite  for  success.  There  may  be  a  good  deal  of  truth 
in  the  following,  by  Lucy  A.  Mallory : — 

‘  ‘  The  reason  why  there  is  so  much  that  is  unsatisfactory 
in  the  communications  from  discarnate  spirits  is  because 
those  seeking  communications  do  not  understand  how  to 
put  law  into  harmonious  operation.  In  the  first  place  we 
must  have  acquired  self-control  before  we  can  receive  any¬ 
thing  satisfactory  from  the  spirit  world.  If  our  being  is 
not  in  order  we  can  get  only  confusing  messages.  But 
whoever  will  put  themselves  in  proper  condition  can  have 
communication  with  the  spirit  world,  and  there  is  nothing 
life  can  offer  that  gives  such  perfect  satisfaction.  No 
evidence  will  positively  satisfy  the  soul  below  the  plane 
of  its  own  consciousness.’ 

SEEING,  ‘SENSING,’  OR  PERCEIVING? 

Miss  Rowan  Vincent,  during  her  career  as  a  medium, 
gave  hundreds  of  ‘descriptions’  which  were  recognized  by 
the  recipients  as  accurate  portrayals  of  their  deceased 
relatives  and  friends,  yet  could  not  affirm  that  she  actually 
saw  them.  She  gave  some  interesting  definitions  of  clair¬ 
voyance  when  speaking  at  one  of  the  meetings  of  the 
London  Spiritualist  Alliance.  She  said  it  was  as  natural 
for  a  man  or  woman  to  exercise  clairvoyance  as  to  em¬ 
ploy  the  ordinary  powers  of  vision.  There  were  several 
kinds  of  clairvoyance.  There  was  the  kind  which  saw 
dearly  the  vision  before  it,  just  as  the  normal  sight  beheld 
the  objects  of  everyday  life.  Then  there  was  a  type  of 
clairvoyance  which  beheld  visions  in  a  dream-like  fashion, 
sometimes  scarcely  able  to  realize  that  it  was  clairvoyance. 


.4  Guide  io  Mediumship 


69 


Again,  there  was  the  clairvoyance  that  seemed  only  men¬ 
tally  to  apprehend  the  picture  or  vision.  Some  clairvoy¬ 
ants  could  see  into  closed  boxes  or  sealed  packets,  others 
could  see  across  oceans  and  continents.  These  kinds,  how¬ 
ever,  belonged  more  to  the  mesmeric  condition,  and  were 
not  often  found  in  the  normal  clairvoyant.  The  clair¬ 
voyance  that  found  favor  with  most  people,  however,  was 
that  which  described  the  forms,  features,  and  characters 
of  those  who  had  gone  from  our  midst.  In  such  cases  the 
seer  was  enabled  to  draw  back  the  veil  that  hid  one  world 
from  the  other;  and  his  clairvoyance  became  a  sacred  gift, 
and  as  such  should  be  esteemed  by  both  the  giver  and 
the  recipient. 

IM PRESSIONAL  clairvoyance. 

Mr.  W.  II.  Bach,  in  his  little  work  on  ‘Mediumship  and 
its  Development,’  expresses  the  opinion  that  clairvoyance 
and  clairaudienre  are  both  ‘impressional.’  He  points  out 
that  ‘clairvoyants  see  with  closed  eyes  and  m  the  dark  as 
readily  as,  and  in  some  cases  better  than,  in  the  light.’ 
lie  affirms  his  belief  that  ‘clairvoyance  is  a  result  of  an 
impression  produced  directly  upon  the  brain,  and  that  the 
same  holds  good  in  regard  to  clairaudience.’  Passivity, 
attention,  and  responsiveness  are  needed  to  develop  these 
phases.  Some  clairvoyants,  however,  claim  to  see  spirits 
as  though  they  looked  at  them  with  their  eyes.  Mrs. 
Bessie  Russell -Davies,  herself  a  remarkably  successful 
seer,  claims  that  ‘clairvoyance  is  our  “spirit  vision,”  the 
sight  our  souls  see  with.  .  .  .  By  it  we  see  clearly 

what  is  positively  obscure  and  unseen  by  natural  sight. 
Spiritual  objects  are  seen  by  it  more  easily  than  are  phys¬ 
ical  objects.’  The  causes  why  some  people  and  not 
others  possess  the  power  of  ‘clear  seeing,’  she  thinks,  are 
yet  to  be  discovered,  although  the  faculty  frequently  runs 
m  families  for  generations. 

MENTAL  PICTURES,  IMAGES,  OR  VISIONS  ? 

When  a  clairvoyant  describes  a  spirit  near  to  a  sitter 
and  fills  in  the  details  of  his  personal  appearance  when  in 
life  here,  and  those  delineations  are  of  so  vivid  a  nature 


70 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


as  to  convince  the  recipient  that  the  person  thus  described 
is  in  reality  a  departed  relative,  it  is  considered  a  good  test 
of  the  clairvoyant’s  power.  But  a  little  thought  will  con¬ 
vince  the  student  that  the  vision  was  not  a  spiritual  one  in 
the  sense  of  discerning  the  visitor  as  he  really  is  in  his  new 
state  of  existence.  The  seer  either  witnessed  a  partial 
materialization,  or  described  an  appearance  (a  picture  pre¬ 
sented  to  his  psychic  vision),  or  what  had  been  impressed 
upon  him  by  the  spirit  operator.  The  seer  depicts  the  spirit 
as 'wearing  the  garb,  and  presenting  the  appearance  which 
characterized  him  here.  But  no  one  will  claim  that  the 
people  ‘over  there’  wear  the  same  clothes  and  are  unaltered 
in  their  personal  appearance  since  they  died,  as  we  call  it. 
If  the  clairvoyant  saw  our  friends  as  they  are  seen  by  their 
fellow-spirits  we  should  find  it  very  difficult,  to  recognize 
them.  The  child  who  died  a  babe  is  seen  as  a  babe,  although 
ten  or  more  years  have  passed  since  he  entered  spirit  life, 
and  spirits  unite  in  assuring  us  that  children  grow  and 
develop  in  the  spheres  beyond  the  tomb. 

NOT  WHAT  THEY  SEEM  TO  BE. 

The  aged  and  infirm  are  frequently  depicted  by  clair¬ 
voyants  as  still  aged  and  bent  with  the  weight  of  years ; 
yet  spirits  tell  us  that  all  appearances  of  age  and  infirmity 
drop  away  from  them  soon  after  entering  the  spirit  state. 
Hence,  while  no  doubt  the  spirit  thinks  back,  so  to  speak, 
and  projects  an  appearance  of  himself  (a  thought-form) 
as  he  was,  for  the  pur  posse  of  recognition,  clairvoyance,  in 
the  sense  of  seeing  as  a  spirit  among  spirits,  has  not  been 
exercised,  although  i.t  has  been  a  true  exercise  of  medium- 
ship.  An  experienced  mesmerist  when  he  has  a  good  sub¬ 
ject  can  cause  that  subject  to  see  pretty  much  what  he  wills 
him  to  see.  He  has  but  to  concentrate  his  thought  and 
visualize  an  object  or  person  clearly  in  his  own  mind,  to 
sympathetically  transfer  the  image  to  his  sensitive  with 
more  or  less  distinctness.  There  are,  however,  so  many 
grades  of  psychic  perception,  or  lucidity,  that  it  is  difficult 
to  determine  where  impression  ends  and  sight  begins,  and 
where  that  which  is  seen  is  merely  a  temporary  thought- 
form,  a  picture,  a  partial  materialization,  or  bona-fide 


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71 


spirit  sight.  Only  experience,  careful  observation,  and  con¬ 
tinued  experiment  can  settle  the  point  in  any  given  case  or 
with  any  particular  medium. 

A  SUGGESTED  EXPLANATION. 

Thought-transference  may  help  us  to  form  some  idea  of 
the  process  by  which  visual  impressions  are  produced.  If 
an  operator  draws  a  rough  outline  cf  an  object,  and  then, 
looking  at  the  drawing,  seeks  to  visualize  and  hold  that  pic¬ 
ture  in  his  mind's  eye,  and,  by  the  exercise  of  his  will,  en¬ 
deavors  to  project  and  transfer  the  thought-picture  to  a 
sensitive;  and,  further,  if  the  sensitive  is  sitting  passively 
yet  expectantly,  is  all  attention  to  receive  the  positive  im¬ 
pression,  and  it  is  thus  transferred,  we  have  an  experience 
which  is,  we  think,  largely  analogous  to  (if  not  identical 
with)  what  happens  in  impressional  clairvoyance. 

We  fully  recognize  that  there  are  various  kinds  of  de¬ 
grees  of  clairvoyance,  as  the  experienced  mesmerist  and 
Spiritualist  knows,  and  we  do  not  claim  that  the  above- 
suggested  explanation  covers  the  whole  ground,  but  it  does 
seem  to  us  adequate  for  this  particular  class  of  experiences. 

SPIRIT  ACTIVITY  AND  BODILY  SLEEP. 

Mr.  W.  J.  Colville  says :  ‘  Spirit  communion  of  the  most 
satisfying  and  consoling  nature  is  frequently  enjoyed  in 
sleep,  and  to  render  this  communion  thoroughly  efficient  as 
a  panacea  for  doubt  and  sorrow,  it  is  by  no  means  necessary 
that  on  awaking  the  one  who  has  been  enlightened  and  con¬ 
soled  in  sleep  should  remember  any  of  the  detailed  circum¬ 
stances  of  a  vision  or  a  dream.  Intromission  to  the  spiritual 
state  surpasses  many  lesser  mediumistic  experiences,  as  it 
causes  an  unmistakable  feeling  of  assurance  within  the  one 
who  has  experienced  it,  while  even  the  most  convincing  tests 
or  proofs  coming  through  another,  supply  less  direct  evi¬ 
dence  than  one’s  own  original  experiences. 

The  problem  of  sleep  is  now  receiving,  as  well  as  invit¬ 
ing,  far  more  attention  than  formerly,  largely  on  account 
of  the  excellent  results  which  often  follow  upon  mental  sug¬ 
gestions  given  to  sleeping  patients.  We  call  particular  at- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


tention  to  the  sleeping  state  as  that  of  interior  or  subjec¬ 
tive  consciousness;  never  we  are  tmconscious.  The  phrase 
‘  ‘  unconscious  trance  mediumship  ’  ’  is  one  which  needs  qual¬ 
ifying,  and  is  seldom  appropriate,  as  it  by  no  means  ex¬ 
plains  the  recorded  experiences  of  the  many  sensitives  who, 
when  in  a  superior  or  exalted  state,  are  conscious  of  spir¬ 
itual  experiences,  though  unconscious  of  what  is  going  on 
in  their  material  vicinity.  ’ 

MAGNETIC  AND  SPIRIT  HEALING. 

Healing  power  is  possessed  in  some  degree  by  many  peo¬ 
ple  who  are  not  strictly  of  the  mediumistic  temperament, 
but,  as  they  are  charged  with  an  abundance  of  vital,  or 
‘magnetic,’  force  which  is  unused  by  them,  it  would  prob¬ 
ably  be  productive  of  discomfort,  if  not  disease,  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  Nature  has  made  health  as  catching  as 
disease,  and  their  auric  emanations  act  beneficially  upon 
others  who  need  healing  and  unconsciously  draw  to  them¬ 
selves  some  of  this  abundant  force.  Nature  ever  works  to¬ 
wards  harmony,  and  strives  to  readjust  inequalities.  Those 
persons  who  are  of  the  full-blooded  vital  temperament 
should  try  to  relieve  the  aches  and  pains  of  those  with  whom 
they  associate,  for  in  relieving  others  they  themselves  would 
be  benefited,  provided  a  sympathetic  feeling  could  be  estab¬ 
lished.  But  no  one  should  attempt  to  magnetize  others  to¬ 
wards  whom  he  cannot  exert  kindly  feelings,  and  no  sufferer 
should  submit  to  magnetic  treatment  by  a  “healer’  who  does 
not  inspire  him  with  confidence  and  respect.  Unless  the 
magnetizer  has  gained  confidence  from  study  and  experi¬ 
ence,  and  is  guided  by  intelligent  spirits  who  understand  the 
methods  of  healing,  it  would  be  unwise  for  him  to  attempt  to 
treat  an  illness  of  a  serious  nature. 

THE  LAYING  ON  OP  HANDS. 

Dr.  Dean  Clarke  claimed,  in  the  ‘Banner  of  Light,’  that : 
‘When  the  mind,  both  conscious  and  “sub-conscious,”  has 
full  magnetic  connection  with,  and  control  of,  every  organ 
in  the  body,  health  prevails.  When  it  has  not,  a  condition 
called  “disease”  prevails;  and  whatever  method  will  re- 


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73 


establish  the  normal  state  is  a  true  art  of  healing.  If  there 
is  too  little  magnetism  to  properly  charge  the  nervous  sys¬ 
tem  it  must  be  supplied  from  some  source,  or  if  there  are 
obstructions  to  its  proper  circulation  they  must  be  removed 
or  overcome.  The  experience  of  mankind,  ancient  and  mod¬ 
ern,  has  proved  the  efficacy  of  “the  laying  on  of  hands,” 
by  which  the  vital  magnetism  of  the  healer  is  imparted  to 
the  patient  to  “reinforce”  his  own  exhausted  or  depleted 
vitality. 

‘The  art  of  imparting  the  subtle  vital  force  inherent  in 
the  nervous  system  of  man  and  animals  was  known  centuries 
before  either  physiological  or  psychological  science  had 
dawned  to  explain  it.  In  cjuite  modern  times  Mesmer  re¬ 
vived  the  ancient  art,  and  presented  a  theory  of  explanation 
which,  if  not  complete,  has  never  been  overthrown,  though 
later-day  hypnotists  have  essayed  to  destroy  it  by  deny¬ 
ing  his  basic  idea  of  animal  magnetism.  Granting  all  that 
may  be  claimed  for  the  power  of  thought,  or  for  mind  acting 
upon  mind,  it  would  be  just  as  rational  and  as  scientific  to 
attempt  telegraphy  without  electricity,  as  to  attempt  hyp¬ 
notism  or  mental  healing  without  the  use  of  nerveaura  or 
magnetism.  The  mind  does  not,  and  probably  cannot,  act 
upon  the  body  without  the  intermediate  agency  of  what  has 
long  been  called  animal  magnetism.  Insulate  any  portion 
of  the  nervous  system  from  magnetic  connection  with  the 
great  dynamo,  the  brain,  and  the  mind  ceases  to-control  that 
part  of  the  organism  thus  cut  off  from  magnetic  connection 
with  the  brain,  and  if  this  insulation  continues,  paralysis  of 
those  parts  or  organs  follows.’ 

SPIRIT  HEALERS  AT  WORK. 

‘Spiritual  science  proves  that  human  magnetism  is  but 
one  of  the  factors  of  healing.  It  is  the  vehicle  of  all  other 
power,  but  not  the  principal  healing  force,  which  is  spirit- 
power.  Every  very  successful  healer,  whether  Spiritualist 
or  “Christian  Scientist,”  has  his  own  mental  and  spiritual 
power  reinforced  by  a  “spirit  band,”  or  battery,  if  we 
may  so  speak.  He  or  she  may  not  be  conscious  of  such  aid, 
for  spirit-power  is  so  subtle  that  it  may  act  through  the 


74 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

magnetic  atmosphere  of  the  healer  unawares.  Clairvoyants 
can  see  the  spirit-healers  at  work  doing  “absent  healing,” 
and  psychometrists  can  sense  their  personality  as  decar- 
hated  human  spirits,  and  not  the  “Holy  Ghost,”  as  was 
once  supposed,  and  as  is  believed  by  “Christian  Scientists” 
Today. 

‘But  usually  the  healing  power  from  spirits,  as  well  as 
mortals,  is  very  sensibly  felt.  All  “mediums,”  whether 
healers  or  not,  often  feel  very  strongly  the  magnetic  force 
through  which  they  are  influenced  or  controlled  by  spirits. 
It  thrills  their  nerves,  and  not  infrequently  produces  spas¬ 
modic  jerking  of  the  muscles  or  limbs.  To  claim  that  they 
are  entranced,  or  otherwise  influenced,  solely  by  the  force 
of  thought  or  “suggestion,”  is  to  ignore  the  universal  ex¬ 
perience  of  thousands  of  psychic  sensitives. 

‘Our  own  psychic  experience  for  twoscore  years  is  con¬ 
clusive.  We  know  whereof  we  affirm.  We  are  positive  that 
magnetism  is  the  connecting  force  between  mind  and  body, 
and  also  the  intermediate  force  used  by  “controlling  spir¬ 
its,”  whenever  their  thought  inspires  ours,  or  they  impart 
healing  balm  to  cure  the  sick.’ 

INDIVIDUALITY  DEVELOPED,  NOT  ‘LOST.’ 

There  is  no  need  for  the  student  to  decline  to  be  in¬ 
fluenced,  or  ‘controlled,’  by  spirit  friends  for  fear  of  ‘los¬ 
ing  his  individuality,’  any  more  than  he  should  insist  upon 
asserting  his  freedom  and  refuse  the  aid  of  tutors,  lest 
they  should  infringe  upon  his  sacred  ‘individuality.’  What 
are  called  the  imconscious  phases  of  mediumship  generally 
lead  up  to  loving  co-operation  with  the  wise  and  kindly 
souls  of  the  higher  life  in  efforts  to  establish  the  fellowship 
of  man ;  to  bring  knowledge  where  ignorance  now  reigns ; 
to  banish  the  darkness  by  the  light  of  that  spiritual  com¬ 
munion  which  shall  yet  be  a  blessing  to  the  race;  and  ‘re¬ 
liance  upon  higher  powers  in  or  out  of  the  body  does  not 
mean  that  we  sacrifice  our  own  abilities,  nor  do  we  thus  be¬ 
come  exempt  from  responsibility.  Quite  the  reverse.  It  is 
the  arrogance,  of  individualism  against  which  we  protest. 
In  fact,  there  is  no  abiding  strength  of  purpose  apart  from 


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75 


the  dependence  every  well-ordered  mind  should  accord  to 
the  infinite  Life  and  Wisdom  and  the  beneficial  services 
which  His  wise  and  loving  ministering  spirits  can  render 
to  us  if  we  are  desirous  and  responsive.’  * 

SPIRITUAL  UNFOLDMENT  THE  GOAL  TO  BE  WON. 

Spiritual  growth  is  not  necessarily  identical  with  intel¬ 
lectual  development  or  will  culture.  Although  it  may  be 
■assistedlliereby,  there  is  danger  of  intellectual  pride  and 
self-glorification  unless  the  motive  and  the  method  are  both 
right.  Excess  or  perversion  is  likely  to  be  injurious  either 
in 'self-surrender  or  in  self-assertion.  We  need  to  be  care¬ 
ful  that  we  do  not  fall  into  the  error  of  supposing  that 
what  ordinarily  passes  for  ‘education’  implies  spiritual 
unfoldment.  A  great  deal  can  be  said  in  justification  of 
the  outcry  for  educated  mediums,  but  we  shall  do  well  to 
remember  that  knowledge  of  the  mechanics  of  speech,  or 
the  technicalities  of  the  schools  of  either  science,  phi¬ 
losophy,  or  religion,  does  not  constitute  soul-culture  or 
HeEice  the  spiritual  qualities  belonging  to  the  medium.  Let 
us  have  educated  mediums  by  all  means,  but  let  that  educa¬ 
tion  include  the  exercise  of  moral  and  spiritual  powers 
and  graces,  as  well  as  mediumistic  ‘gifts.’ 

REACTIVE  RESULTS  BENEFICIAL. 

We  agree  with  the  ‘Harbinger  of  Light’  when  it  says: 
‘There  is  no  reason  why  the  reactive  consequences  of  fre¬ 
quent  control  by  enlightened  and  earnest  spirits,  even  in 
the  case  of  the  “trance’  medium,  should  not  prove  ex¬ 
tremely  beneficial  to  the  sensitive,  and  this,  we  believe,  has 
been  the  case  with  many  of  the  speakers  in  the  movement. 
Where  the  medium  is  aspi rational  and  ready  to  respond  to 
the  thought  impulsions  of  the  control,  it  stands  to  reason 
that  the  transmitted  ideas,  and  the  stimulation  of  the 
thought-faculties  caused  by  the  transference  and  expres¬ 
sion  of  the  spirits’  opinions,  will  not  be  lost  to  the  medium. 
“If  you  will  take  one  step  we  can  more  easily  help  you 


*  ‘Light  of  Truth.’ 


76 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


to  take  a  second  than  we  could  compel  you  to  take  the 
first  if  you  were  unprepared,”  said  the  spirit  teacher  to 
Mrs.  Emma  Hardinge  Britten,  and  there  need  be  no  loss 
of  dignity  or  individuality,  no  injury  to  body  or  mind,  but 
a  gain  of  strength  and  spiritual  vigor,  education  of  mind 
and  stimulation  of  moral  purpose,  by  intelligent  co-opera¬ 
tion  and  temporary  surrender  on  the  part  of  the  medium 
to  wise  and  loving  spirit  helpers  and  teachers.’ 


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77 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BIBLICAL  AND  MODERN  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Mediums  can  say,  as  did  one  of  old,  ‘Must  I  not  take 
heed  to  speak  that  which  the  Lord  hath  put  into  my  mouth.’ 
(Num.  xxiii.  12.) 

Take  no  thought  beforehand  what  ye  shall  speak, 
neither  do  ye  premeditate;  but  whatsoever  shall  be  given 
you  in  that  hour  that  speak  ye.  (Mark  xiii.  11.) 

The  indebtedness  of  the  clergy — if  they  knew  their  busi¬ 
ness — to  Spiritualism  was  really  very  great.  In  the  first 
place  Spiritualism  had  rehabilitated  the  Bible.  It  could 
not  for  a  moment  be  denied  that  faith  in.  and  reverence 
for,  the  Bible  was  dying  out,  in  consequence  of  the  grow¬ 
ing  doubts  of  people  regarding  the  miraculous  parts  of  the 
Bible. — Rev.  H.  R.  Haweis. 

It  would  not  be  wise  or  right  to  close  this  explanatory 
treatise  without  dealing  with  the  important  and,  to  many 
people,  the  perplexing  problem  of  how  the  inspiration  of 
the  prophets  and  apostles  of  the  Bible  compares  with  that 
of  modern  mediums. 

It  is  admitted  by  an  ever-increasing  number  of  sincerely 
religious  minds  that  there  is  a  human  element  in  the  Bible, 
and  that  the  writings  which  make  up  that  book  are  not 
of  equal  value. 

The  passage,  ‘Every  Scripture  inspired  of  God  is  also 
profitable,’  &e.,  as  it  is  now  rendered  in  the  Revised  Ver¬ 
sion,  leaves  it  an  open  question  as  to  which  Scripture  is 
given  by  inspiration  and  which  is  not. 


78 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


TWO  KINDS  OF  INSPIRATION. 

Inspiration  may  bo  both  particular  and  general— that  is, 
it  may  be  an  inbreathing  from  an  individual  source,  or  it 
may  result  from  the  opening  up  of  the  inner  powers  of  the 
spirit-self  to  the  conscious  reception  of  the  inflowing 
thought  impulses  from  the  spiritual  realm.  We  sometimes 
say  ‘thoughts  are  in  the  air,’  and  whoever  becomes  attuned 
to  the  same  thought  plane  is  acted  upon  by  them.  Like 
as  water  seeks  its  own  level,  so  they  flow  into  the  soul  that 
lies  open  to  receive  them.  Dr.  Eugene  Crowell  has  well 
said 

‘inspiration  is  a  perpetual  fact.’ 

He  affirms  that:  ‘Inspiration,  whether  direct  from  the 
Divine  mind,  or  mediately  through  the  minds  of  spiritual 
agencies,  is  not  a  miracle  of  past  ages,  but'  a  perpetual  fact, 
operative  now  as  of  old,  and  it  is  the  method  which,  under 
the  operation  of  Divine  law,  is  employed  to  elevate  man  to 
higher  spiritual  planes.  “The  preparation  of  the  heart  in 
man,  and  the  answer  of  the  tongue,  is  from  the  Lord.” — 
Prov.  xvi.  1. 

‘  “All  men,”  says  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  “have  hours 
in  which  they  see  and  do  not  think.  Men  of  genius  now 
and  then  are  luminous  in  this  way.  From  their  souls  they 
throw  light  upon  things,  and  know  without  reasoning.” 

‘With  all  men  of  genius  inspiration  flows  in  upon  their 
minds  independently  of  any  creative  power  of  their  own. 
Thus  Schiller,  in  writing,  “wondered  whence  his  thoughts 
came  from;  they  frequently  flowed  through  him  independ¬ 
ent  of  the  action  of  his  own  mind.”  Robert  Burns  at  one 
time,  sitting  down  to  write,  penned  these  lines  — 

“Which  way  the  subject  theme  may  gang 
Let  time  or  chance  determine , 

Perhaps  it  may  turn  out  a  sang, 

Or  probably  a  sermon.” 

‘He  was  here  in  the  best  condition  for  the  reception  of 
spiritual  influence,  his  mind  being  passive  and  consequently 
receptive — the  proper  mental  condition  of  all  true 
mediums. 


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79 


‘Mozart  said  lie  composed  liis  music  because  he  could 
not  help  it.  “  When  all  goes  well  with  me,”  he  says,  “when 
I  am  in  a  carriage,  or  walking,  or  when  I  cannot  sleep  at 
night,  the  thoughts  come  streaming  in  upon  me  most 
fluently;  whence  or  how  is  more  than  I  can  tell.”  ’ 

The  Editor  of  ‘Light’  says:  ‘In  the  unceasing  strug¬ 
gle  for  truth,  we  would  make  an  obscurantist  a  present  of 
all  the  old  dogmas  if  he  would  only  leave  with  us  the  ad¬ 
mission  that  God  still  inspires  the  human  spirit,  and  that 
the  Heavenly  Father  can  still  guide  His  earthly  child. 
Admit  that,  and  the  struggle  is  over:  admit  that,  and  we 
are  free  to  shut  the  book  and  enter  into  the  sanctuary  of 
the  soul :  admit  that,  and  it  not  only  becomes  our  right  but 
our  urgent  duty  to  revise  all  faiths  in  the  light  of  the 
hopes,  the  inshinings,  and  the  inspirations  of  our  day: 
and  then  the  battle  is  won.’ 

INSPIRATION  FROM  SPIRITS. 

Inspiration  from  a  particular  person,  that  is,  from  a 
deceased  human  being,  is  a  branch  of  the  subject  which  has 
not  yet  been  generally  recognized,  and  which  only  Spiritu¬ 
alism  will  force  the  students  and  ‘Higher  Critics’  of  the 
Bible  to  consider  and  apply.  Hitherto  they  have  dealt  with 
the  question  of  inspiration  from  the  point  of  view  of  its 
alleged  Divine  origin,  whereas  Spiritualism  makes  clear  the 
fact  of  the  probable  influence  of  excarnate  human  beings, 
and  this  view  is  born?  out  by  Acts  (vii  1)3),  where  it  is 
said  that  the  ‘Law’  was  given  bv  the  disposition  (agency) 
of  angels,  and  we  hold  that  the  Bible  contains  many  de¬ 
tails  of  spiritual  manifestations  which  can  only  be  properly 
understood  in  the  light  of  Modern  Spiritualism. 

In  an  admirable  address  of  welcome  to  the  delegates 
who  attended  the  ‘Parliament  of  the  World’s  Religions,’ 
held  in  Chicago,  in  1893,  the  Rev.  J.  II.  Burrows  showed 
how  the  spiritualistic  thoughts  of  the  ministry  and  inspira¬ 
tion  of  excarnate  human  beings  give  vitality  and  breadth 
to  the  faith  of  the  noble-minded  people  who  recognize  its 
truth.  He  said:  ‘It  seems  to  me  that  the  spirits  of  just  and 
good  men  hover  over  this  assembly,’  and  he  went  on  to 
enumerate  some  of  those  who  he  believed  were  present, 


80 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


naming  Paul,  Buddlia,  Socrates,  Jeremy  Taylor,  John 
Milton,  Roger  Williams,  Lessing,  Abraham  Lincoln,  Ten¬ 
nyson,  Whittier,  and  Phillyss  Brooks. 

MEN,  NOT  BOOKS,  ABE  INSPIRED. 

It  is  necessary  to  remember  that  a  bock  cannot  be  in¬ 
spired,  although  human  beings  may  enjoy  such  an  ex¬ 
perience.  It  is  also  important  to  recognize  that  a  state¬ 
ment  is  not  necessarily  true  because  it  is  inspired.  We 
now  know  that  a  man  may  receive  thoughts,  and  be  subject 
to  impulses  ‘from  the  other  side,’  and  yet  those  thoughts 
may  be  misleading  and  the  impulses  sometimes  such  as 
should  be  resisted.  The  recipient  may  fully  believe  that 
the  ideas  imparted  to  him  are  Divine  Inspirations,  but  his 
belief  does  not  guarantee  their  Godly  origin  or  their  in¬ 
fallibility.  The  affirmation  that  ‘Holy  men  of  God  spake 
as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost’  (2  Peter,  i.  21), 
does  not  warrant  the  soundness  of  the  statements  which 
they  made,  or  which  have  been  attributed  to  them.  No 
amount  of  inspiration  can  make  a  falsehood  true,  or  an 
error  accurate ;  consequently  the  test  of  the  value  of  any 
inspired  sentiment,  teaching,  or  affirmation  is  to  be  found 
in  its  truth  rather  than  in  the  source  from  which  it 
emanates;  and  each  reader  is  entitled  to  use  his  own  judg¬ 
ment,  and  to  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind.  Inspira¬ 
tion  affects  the  individual,  and  , he  cannot  be  inspired  be¬ 
yond  his  capacity  to  receive ;  therefore  a  perfect  medium 
would  be  required  for  an  inerrant  gospel. 

THE  WORD  OF  THE  LORD. 

Much  confusion  of  thought  has  arisen  because  of  the 
modern  misuse  of  the  phrase,  ‘the  Word  of  the  Lord,’  as 
though  it  meant  the  Bible,  whereas  it  originally  meant  the 
message,  inspiration,  dream,  or  spoken  word. 

It  is  claimed  ‘that  holy  men  of  old  spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit,’  but  inspiration  and  guidance 
by  spirits  is  not  a  miracle  of  past  ages,  it  is  a  perpetual 
fact,  which  under  the  operation  of  the  Divine  law  is  em¬ 
ployed  to  elevate  man  to  higher  spiritual  planes.  The 


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prophets  of  old  were  ‘forth  speakers,’  mediums,  with  all 
their  human  frailties  and  shortcomings.  John  Page  IIopps 
says:  ‘The  prophets  were  in  the  main  the  revivalist  preach¬ 
ers  and  political  reformers  of  their  time.  .  .  It  is  when 

we  ask  how  the  prophets  got  what  they  called,  or  what 
others  called  for  them,  “the  word  of  the  Lord,”  that  we 
find  how  near  akin  the  ancient  prophet  was  to  our  modern 
medium.  He  had  visions,  he  was  clairvoyant,  he  went  into 
trances,  he  heard  voices,  or  he  was  moved  by  an  ecstasy 
that  sometimes  went,  perilously  near  raving.’  All  through¬ 
out  the  Book  of  Ezekiel  the  phrase,  ‘the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  to  me,’  occurs.  Clearly  it  means  ‘the  thought  of  the 
Lord’ — or  what  the  prophet  regarded  as  such.  In  the 
second  chapter  Ezekiel  says:  ‘And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of 
Man,  stand  upon  thy  feet  and  I  will  speak  unto  thee. 
And  the  spirit  entered  into  me  when  he  spake  unto  me,  and 
set  me  upon  my  feet,  that  I  heard  him  that  spake  unto 
me.’  Here  is  an  illustration  of  how  the  ‘word,’  or  inspira¬ 
tion,  came  to  the  prophet.  "When  a  modern  speaking  me¬ 
dium  is  ‘influenced’  and  made  to  stand  upon  his  feet,  he 
too  is  (except  when  in  the  deep  unconscious  trance)  able  to 
hear  him  who  speaks  through  him. 

It  was  common  amongst  the  Jews  for  the  kings  to  keep 
their  own  prophets  or  seers ;  thus,  ‘  The  word  of  the  Lord 
for  the  impression,  or  message)  came  unto  the  prophet  Gad, 
David’s  seer.’  (2  Samuel  xxiv.  11.)  A  further  illustra¬ 
tion  of  the  functions  of  the  prophets  is  given  in  Numbers 
xxii.,  where  we  are  told  Balak  sends  to  Balaam  to  come 
and  curse  the  Israelites  for  him.  Ilis  messengers  carry 
with  them  ‘the  rewards  of  divination.’  Balaam  invites  his 
visitors  to  stay  all  night,  while  he  consults  his  Lord.  ‘And 
God  came  unto  Balaam,  and  said.  What  men  are  these  with 
thee?’  Balaam  explains,  and  his  God  (guide)  refuses  to 
permit  him  to  go  and  curse  them.  Balak  thinks  to  buy 
Balaam,  and  offers  great  rewards;  but  Balaam  says,  ‘If 
Balak  would  give  me  his  house  full  of  silver  and  gold  I  can¬ 
not  go  beyond  the  word  of  the  Lord  my  God  to  do  less  or 
more.’  And  his  God  comes  unto  Balaam  at  night,  and  d?- 
rects  him  to  go  with  them,  ‘yet  the  word  which  I  shall  say 
unto  thee,  that  slialt  thou  do.’ 


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From  this  narrative  we  learn  that  Balaam  was  a  trance 
speaker  and  clairvoyant,  that  he  received  payment  for  his 
gifts,  that  the  same  power  of  divination,  or  prophecy,  was 
nsed  to  curse  or  to  bless.  But  the  prophet  of  himself  could 
do  nothing.  It  was  to  be  given  to  him  in  that  hour  what  he 
should  speak,  as  the  spirit  gave  him  utterance.  Evidently 
it  Avas  the  same  power,  gift,  or  mediumistic  aptitude  which 
in  the  well-disposed  and  true  was  called  prophecy,  while  in 
the  evil-minded  it  was  called  divination,  enchantment,  or 
witchcraft. 

SPIRITUALISM  EXPLAINS  THE  BIBLE. 

Valuable  as  the  Bible  undoubtedly  is  as  the  record  of 
man’s  spiritual  strivings  and  experiences,  it  loses  that  value 
when  unwarrantable  claims  are  made  in  its  behalf.  Even 
its  own  pages  bear  testimony  against  the  partisans  who 
deny  the  possibility  of  the  exercise  of  spiritual  powers  by 
man  to-day,  and  the  communion  with  the  departed  by 
earthdwellers. 

The  Rev.  H.  R.  Ha\Areis,  when  speaking  before  the 
London  Spiritualist  Alliance,  said:  ‘People  now  believe 
in  the  Bible  because  of  Spiritualism ;  they  do  not  belie\re 
in  Spiritualism  because  of  the  Bible’.  He  continued: 
‘Take  up  your  Bible  and  you  will  find  that  there  is  not  a 
single  phenomenon  Avhich  is  recorded  there  which  does  not 
occur  at  seances  to-day.  Whether  it  be  lights,  sounds,  the 
shaking  of  the  house,  the  coming  through  closed  doors, 
the  mighty  rushing  winds,  levitation,  automatic  writing, 
the  speaking  in  tongues,  we  are  acquainted  Avith  all  these 
phenomena ;  they  occur  every  day  in  London  as  well  as 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  .  .  It  is  incontestable  that 

such  things  do  occur,  that  in  the  main  the  phenomena  of 
Spiritualism  are  reliable,  and  happen  over  and  over  again, 
under  test  conditions,  in  the  presence  of  witnesses;  and 
that  similar  phenomena  are  recorded  in  the  Bible,  Avhich  is 
written  for  our  learning.  It  is  not  an  opinion,  not  a  the¬ 
ory,  but  a  fact.  There  is  chapter  and  verse  for  it,  and  this 
is  what  has  rehabilitated  the  Bible.  The  clergy  ought  to 
be  very  grateful  to  Spiritualism  for  this,  for  they  could  not 
have  done  it  themselves.  They  tried,  but  they  failed.’ 


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'angels’:  who  and  what  are  they? 

Many  earnest  people  are  sorely  puzzled  to  know  tvhut 
to  believe,  because  of  the  claim  that  is  frequently  made  by 
theologians  that  the  manifestations  recorded  in  the  Bible 
were  not  produced  by  human  spirits  but  by  special  angels 
who  never  lived  upon  this  earth;  but,  as  Mr.  Haweis  said: 
‘If  they  cannot  explain  the  miracles  naturally  we  do  not 
want  explanations  which  make  even  greater  demands  upon 
our  credulity.  It  will  not  do  to  assmne  the  existence  of 
celestial  beings  to  account  for  occurrences  which  are  in¬ 
credible  unless  they  can  be  naturally  explained.’ 

The  Rev.  Moses  Hull  said  Jesus  promised  that  when  he 
went  away  he  would  send  a  ‘comforter’ — the  Greek  reads 
parakletos,  that  is,  a  consoler — who  was  to  teach  the  dis¬ 
ciples,  bring  the  sayings  of  Jesus  to  their  remembrance,  and 
guide  them  into  all  truth.  Thus  they  were  to  be  inspired 
to  teach  by  a  Holy  (good)  Ghost  (spirit  or  guide),  con¬ 
soler,  or  comforter. 

‘  MESSENGER  ’  SPIRITS. 

When  we  know  that  the  word  ‘angel’  literally  means 
‘messenger,  ’  and  that  it  was  applied  to  living  men — proph¬ 
ets,  priests,  and  others — we  see  how  easily  we  may  be 
misled  by  accepting  the  ordinaiy  conventional  interpreta¬ 
tion  which  is  put  upon  that  word.  The  burden  of  proof 
that  such  personages  exist  as  the  alleged  superhuman 
angels  of  Bible  times  rests  with  those  who  make  the  as¬ 
sertion.  The  Bible  cannot  be  cited  as  evidence,  for  the 
term  is  there  employed  interchangeably  with  ‘man,’  ‘spirit,’ 
and  ‘Lord’  to  designate  the  spirit  visitant,  as  anyone  can 
see  by  reading  The  tenth  chapter  of  the  Acts  the  spiritualis¬ 
tic  narrative  of  Peter’s  trance  and  vision  upon  the  house¬ 
top,  and  the  experiences  of  Cornelius,  which  are  perfectly 
explicable  in  the  light  of  the  phenomena  of  modern  me¬ 
diumship. 

That  the  word  ‘angel’  was  used  as  a  synonym  for  ‘spirit’ 
is  indicated  in  the  passage  where  it.  is  said  that  Peter’s 
friends,  believing  him  to  be  dead,  declared  ‘It  is  his  angel,’ 
or  spirit,  when  he  stood  knocking  at  the  door  after  his  re¬ 
lease  from  prison  by  a  spirit.  Angels,  we  are  assured,  are 


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‘the  redeemed  from  among  the  tribes  of  the  earth,’  not 
super-human  personages. 

Paul,  when  writing  to  the  Hebrews,  said  that  he  was 
‘compassed  about  with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses’  (xii. 
i).  To  whom  could  he  possibly  refer  if  not  to  the  ‘pa¬ 
triarchs’  of  whom  he  had  .just  previously  been  writing? 
Surely  they  were  human  spirits?  That  this  interpretation 
is  legitimate  is  made  manifest  in  the  23rd  verse,  where  he 
speaks  of  the  ‘spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect’  as  consti¬ 
tuting  the  innumerable  host  of  angels.  The  word  ‘Lord’ 
in  like  manner  was  used  as  synonymous  with  spirit,  and 
with  a  similar  significance  to  that  attached  by  Spiritualists 
to  the  words  ‘leader,’  ‘guide,’  or  ‘guardian  spirit.’  Among 
others,  Samuel,  Moses,  Elias,  and  Jesus  are  all  reported 
to  have  manifested  after  death. 

Tt  was  ‘a  man’s  hand’  which  appeared  and  wrote  the 
mystic  words  of  doom  at  Belshazzar’s  feast;  and  Daniel 
testified  that  he  saw  a  certain  man  and  heard  his  words,  and 
a  hand  touched  him  and  set  him  on  his  knees,  and  ‘there 
came  again  and  touched  me  one  like  the  appearance  of  a 
man’  (x.  5,  9,  10,  18).  Daniel  heard  the  spirits  (saints) 
conversing  together  (viii.  13).  These  ‘saints’  were  once 
men  on  earth ;  see  also  Rev.  xviii.  24.  Gabriel  is  called  both 
a  man  and  an  angel  (or  messenger  spirit). 

There  is  not  the  slightest  shadow  of  a  shade  of  evidence 
in  proof  of  the  claim  that  the  angels  referred  to  in  the 
Bible  were  a  supernatural  order  of  beings.  There  are 
many  reasons  against  the  claim.  What  would  such  creatures 
know  of  human  sorrows,  weaknesses,  or  trials?  What 
would  they  know  of  human  language,  thoughts,  -and  pas¬ 
sions?  How  could  they  minister  comfort  to  the  sad  and 
suffering  souls  of  earth  when  they  had  never  sorrowed  or 
wept  ?  Sympathy  is  born  of  fellow-feeling— they  who  have 
known  what  loss  is  can  feel  most  for  others  in  their  be¬ 
reavement.  He  who  has  been  enslaved  knows  the  value 
and  joy  of  liberty,  and  can  most  truly  sympathize  with 
others  who  are  slaves.  Non-human  angels  would  not  com¬ 
prehend  the  woes,  temptations,  straggles,  and  difficulties 
of  mortal  life,  and  would  be  unfeeling  counsellors  and  in¬ 
competent  comforters.  The  mother,  mourning  the  loss  of 


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85 


her  beloved,  would  feel  little  consolation  by  being  assured 
that  one  of  these  guardian  angels  watched  over  her.  She 
would  in  all  probability  exclaim:  ‘What  care  I  for  your 
angels — they  are  strangers — I  know  them  not.  Oh!  God, 
grant  that  my  child  may  return  ;  that  I  may  know  he  lives ; 
if  only  for  a  moment  let  me  be  assured  that  he  is  with  me 
and  loves  me  still.’ 

‘turned  into  another  man.’ 

Samuel  in  his  instructions  to  Saul  clearly  illustrated 
the  nature  of  inspiration  when  he  said:  ‘The  spirit  of 
[from]  the  Lord  will  come  upon  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
prophesy  with  them,  and  shalt  be  turned  into  another  man’ 
(1  Sam.  x.  6).  This  being  ‘turned  into  another  man’  is 
easily  understood  by  Spiritualists  who  have  seen  mediums, 
tinder  spirit  control,  ‘impersonate’  the  appearance  of  the 
spirit  and  become  so  altered — transfigured,  we  might  al¬ 
most  say — that  the  resemblance  is  clearly  recognized  by  the 
on-looker.  In  2  Esdras,  x.  28.  29,  30.  although  regarded  as 
apocryphal,  we  get  the  following  description  of  a  trance 
medium’s  experiences  and  sensations:  ‘Where  is  Uriel,  the 
angel,  who  came  unto  me  at  the  first?  for  he  hath  caused  me 
to  fall  into  many  trances.  .  .  .  And  as  I  was  speak¬ 

ing  these  words,  behold,  he  came  unto  me,  and  looked  upon 
me.  And,  lo,  I  lay  as  one  that  had  been  dead,  and  mine 
understanding  was  taken  from  me;  [he  was  unconscious] 
and  he  took  me  by  the  right  hand  and  comforted  me,  and 
set  me  upon  my  feet  and  said,’  &c.  On  another  occasion  he 
says:  ‘Then  I  waked,  and  an  extreme  fearfulness  went 
through  all  my  body,  and  my  mind  was  troubled  so  that  it 
fainted.  So  the  angel  that  was  come  to  talk  with  me  held 
me,  comforted  me,  and  set  me  upon  mv  feet.’  (2  Esdras, 
v.  14,  15). 

Although  ‘Job’  is  now  admitted  to  be  a  poem,  there  are 
some  important  statements  which  indicate  the  prevailing 
beliefs  of  the  people.  For  instance,  we  get  the  remarkable 
description  of  a  spirit’s  influence  over  Job  in  chapter  iv. 
13-16:  ‘In  thoughts  from  the  visions  of  the  night,  when  deep 
sleep  falleth  upon  men,  fear  came  upon  me  and  trembling, 
which  made  all  my  bones  to  shake.  Then  a  spirit  passed 


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A  Guide  to  Medium-ship 


before  my  face ;  the  hair  of  my  flesh  stood  up.  It  stood  still, 
but  I  could  not  discern  the  form  thereof;  an  image  was 
before  mine  eyes;  there  was  silence;  and  I  heard  a  voice 
saying,’  &c.  This  description  con'esponds  to  the  shaking  or 
trembling  which  many  mediums  experience,  and  which  has 
given  the  names  to  the  sects  called  Quakers  and  Shakers. 
"The  following  words  might  Avell  be  employed  by  a  modern 
trance  medium:  ‘Therefore  have  I  uttered  that  I  under¬ 
stood  not,  things  too  wonderful  for  me,  which  I  knew  not’ 
(xlii  3).  And  again,  in  chapter  xxvi.,  verse  4,  we  find  a 
question  which  indicates  the  belief  in  spirit  possession,  not 
by  God  directly,  not  by  supernatural  angels,  but  clearly 
by  human  spirits,  thus :  ‘  To  whom  hast  thou  uttered  words, 
and  whose  spirit  came  from  tliee?’  Evidently  it  was  a  com¬ 
mon  thing  for  mediums  to  be  controlled  by  different  spirits. 
Almost  all  the  phenomena  associated  with  modern  medium- 
ship  can  be  paralleled  with  quotations  from  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments.' 

Space  will  not  permit  of  an  extended  list  of  proofs  of 
the  claims  we  have  made,  and  a  few  illustrations  must 
suffice. 

Clairvoyance. — ‘Elisha,  the  prophet  that  is  in  Israel, 
telleth  the  King  of  Israel  the  words  that  thou  speakest  in 
thy  bed-chamber’  (2  Kings  vi.  12). 

‘And  the  Lord  [spirit  guide]  opened  the  eyes  of  the 
young  man,  and  he  saw;  and  behold  the  mountain  was  full 
of  horses  and  chariots  as  of  fire  round  about  Elisha.’  (2 
Kings,  vi.  17.) 

A  Seance. — Elisha  sat  in  his  house,  and  the  elders  sat 
witli  him.  The  king  sent  a  man  to  him,  but  ere  he  arrived, 
Elisha  said,  See  how  this  son  of  a  murderer  hath  sent  to 
take  away  mine  head,  &c.  (2  Kings,  vi.  32.) 

Spirit  Voices. — Samuel  heard  the  ‘voice’  when  in  the 
Temple. 

Samuel  was  told  ‘in  his  ear’  that  Saul  would  visit  him. 

Peter  heard  the  voice,  ‘Arise,  Peter,  kill  and  eat.’ 

Paul  heard  the  voice,  ‘I  am  Jesus,  wrhom  thou  perse- 
cutest.  ’ 

Spirit  Guidance. — Paul  would  have  gone  to  Bithynia, 
‘but  the  spirit  of  Jesus  suffered  them  not.’ — Revised  Ver- 


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87 


sion.  (The  King  James  version  left  out  the  words  ‘of 
Jesus,’  which  specify  who  the  spirit  was,  and  it  is  most 
probable  that  similar  suppression  of  undesirable  facts  has 
occurred  in  other  passages.)  (Acts  xvi.  7.) 

Inspirational  Speaking. — ‘Take  no  thought  before¬ 
hand  what  ye  shall  speak,  neither  do  ye  premeditate;  but 
whatsoever  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour  that  speak  ye ; 
for  it  is  not  ye  that  speak.’  (Mark  xiii.  11.)  They  ‘be¬ 
gan  to  speak  with  other  tongues  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  ut¬ 
terance.’  (Acts  ii.  4.)  The  narrative  implies  that  these 
ignorant  fishermen  were  controlled  by  spirits  of  different 
nationalities.  How  else  could  they  have  spoken  in  the  lan¬ 
guages  of  the  various  nations  round  about?  It  is  not  only 
far  more  reasonable,  but,  to  our  mind,  the  only  probable 
explanation,  to  suppose  that  the  inspiring  spirits  were  de¬ 
parted  Jews. 

Writing  Mediumship.— In  2  Chronicles,  xxi.  12,  we  get 
the  significant  claim:  ‘And  there  came  a  writing  to  him 
from  Elijah  the  prophet.’  Mr.  Stead,  with  his  ‘Julia,’  is 
only  repeating  the  claim  here  set  down  on  behalf  of  Je- 
lioram,  for  this  is  said  to  have  occurred  four  years  after 
Elijah  passed  away. 

Direct  Writing. — The  Commandments  were  written 
by  spirit  power  upon  tables  of  stone — probably  slate. 

Spirit  Writing. — ‘David  gave  to  Solomon  his  son  the 
pattern  of  the  porch  and  of  the  houses  thereof.  .  and 
the  pattern  of  all  that  he  had  by  the  spirit  .  .  All  this, 

said  David,  the  Lord  made  me  understand  in  writing,  by 
his  hand  upon  me.’  (1  Chron.  xxviii.  11-19.)  Again,  in 
Daniel  v.  5:  ‘There  came  forth  the  fingers  of  a  man’s  hand, 
and  the  king  saw  the  part  of  the  hand  that  wrote.’ 

Divination. — Joseph  practiced  divination  (Gen.  xliv. 
15).  Daniel  was  rewarded  for  his  divinations  (Dan.  ii. 
47-48),  as  also  was  Samuel  by  Saul. 

Physical  Manifestations. — Gideon  asked  ‘for  a  test’ 
that  a  fleece  might  be  wet  with  dew  and  the  ground  around 
it  dry,  and  again  the  next  night  that  the  fleece  might  be 
dry  and  the  ground  wet,  and  it  was  granted  (Judges  vi.  37 
and  40),  It  is  hardly  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  God 
of  the  Universe  engaged  in  this  task,  and  as  it  occurred  in 


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tlie  dark,  and  without  critical  observers,  the  testimony  is 
less  valuable  than  that  of  the  witnesses  to  present-day  facts. 
Ezekiel  (viii.  3)  testifies  that  a  hand  took  him  by  a  lock  of 
his  hair,  and  the  spirit  lifted  him  up  between  earth  and 
Heaven.  We  are  told  that  an  angel  released  Peter  from 
prison.  The  house  where  the  Apostles  assembled  was 
shaken,  and  angels,  called  ‘young  men,’  are  reported  to 
have  rolled  away  the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre, 
but  this  happened  in  the  dark,  when  no  witnesses  observed 
its  occurrence.  Abraham  is  said  to  have  ‘waited  in  a  horror 
of  great  darkness,’  &c. 

Trances. — ‘The  spirit  from  the  Lord  will  come  upon 
thee  and  thou  shalt  prophesy  [speak  forth],  and  shalt  be 
turned  into  another  man’  [i.e.,  controlled  by  another  man], 

‘I  was  in  deep  sleep  on  my  face  toward  the  ground; 
but  he  [the  man  Gabriel]  touched  me  and  set  me  upright.’ 

‘He  hath  said  which  heard  the  words  of  God,  which 
saw  the  visions  of  the  Almighty,  falling  into  a  trance,  but 
having  his  eyes  open.’  (Numbers  xxiv.  4.)  Some  me¬ 
diums  nowadays  have  their  eyes  open  when  entranced, 
others  have  them  shut. 

TThe  spirit  entered  into  me  when  he  spake  unto  me, 
and  set  me  upon  my  feet,  that  I  heard  him  that  spake  unto 
me.’  (Ezek.  ii.  2.)  Some  mediums  are  unconscious,  others 
hear  the  spirit  speaking  through  them. 

Unconscious  Trance, — ‘Therefore  have  I  uttered  that 
I  understood  not,  things  too  wonderful  for  me,  which  I 
knew  not.’  (Job  xlii.  3.) 

‘To  whom  hast  thou  uttered  words?  and  whose  spirit 
came  from  thee?’  (Job  xxvi.  4.)  [Evidently  there  were 
different  controls  and  they  were  known.] 

CURIOUS  CONDITIONS. 

Conditions  were  required  then  as  now,  and  sometimes 
very  trivial  means  were  employed,  as  when  Jesus  put  his 
fingers  into  the  man’s  ears,  ‘spit  and  touched  his  tongue,’ 
and  again,  ‘He  spat  on  the  ground  and  made  clay  of  the 
spittle,  and  put  it  on  the  man’s  eyes.’  Sometimes  he  re¬ 
quired  to  be  alone,  or  in  the  presence  only  of  sympathetic 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


89 


friends.  ‘  He  put  them  all  out  and  took  her  by  the  hand.  ’ 
‘He  took  him,  the  deaf  and  dumb  man,  aside  from  the  mul¬ 
titude.’  ‘He  took  the  blind  man  out  of  the  town.’  (Mark 
viii.  23.)  Prayer  and  fasting  were  necessary  for  certain 
phenomena,  and  bigoted  opposition  or  strong  prejudice 
militated  against  successful  results.  The  disciples  failed, 
and  were  rebuked  by  Jesus  (Luke  ix.  40.  41),  but  Jesus 
failed  too,  according  to  Matthew  xiii.  58.  ‘  He  did  not  many 
mighty  works  there,  because  of  their  unbelief.’  Honest 
and  reasonable  doubt  is  no  detriment,  though  rancour  is. 

WHILE  IT  WAS  YET  DARK. 

Spiritualists  are  often  challenged  to  produce  the  pheno¬ 
mena  in  the  presence  of  sceptics,  and  ridicule  is  poured 
upon  them  because  the  manifestations  occasionally  occur  in 
the  dark,  or  in  the  presence  of  but  few  witnesses.  The 
Bible  is  full  of  phenomena  occurring  under  such  condi¬ 
tions,  as  we  have  already  shown,  the  most  noteworthy  of 
all  being  the  record  of  the  resurrection,  which,  we  are  told, 
transpired  when  no  witnesses  were  present,  and  at  night, 
for  it  was  ‘yet  dark’  when  the  women  went  to  the  sep¬ 
ulchre.  Peter  was  released  from  prison  in  the  night  while 
the  jailor  slept.  Peter  was  alone  on  the  housetop.  Cor¬ 
nelius  was  alone  when  the  spirit  appeared  to  him,  and  gave 
him  what  many  people  nowadays  would  call  a  trivial  mes¬ 
sage,  viz.,  to  send  to  Joppa  for  Peter. 

LAWFUL  AND  RIGHT. 

‘God  forbids  it,’  ‘It  is  unlawful,’  are  objections  that  are 
frequently  urged ;  but  the  attempt  to  substantiate  them  by 
the  aid  of  a  few  isolated  texts  of  Scripture  is  manifestly 
absurd,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  passages  quoted  car- 
have  no  possible  bearing  upon  our  facts.  When  challenged 
to  fulfil  the  injunction  to  heal  his  sick  friend  by  calling 
together  the  elders  of  the  church,  anointing  him  with  oil, 
and  praying  over  him,  an  opponent  replied  that  ‘the 
promise  was  only  made  to  those  who  heard  and  received  it, 
and  did  not  apply  at  the  present  time.’ 

It  is  now  generally  conceded  that  the  denunciations  and 
warnings  of  Scripture  were  local,  directed  against  people 


00 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


and  practices  of  the  times,  and  therefore  they  do  not  apply 
to  Modern  Spiritualism.  Mediumship  is  a  natural  power 
which  may  be  used  with  pure  intent  to  do  good,  the  same  as 
any  other.  ‘A  man  can  receive  nothing  except  it  be  given 
him  from  heaven.’  (John  iii.  27.)  Where  are  the  greater 
works,  the  signs  and  wonders,  the  gifts  of  the  spirit,  the 
healings,  visions,  prophesying  and  ministrations  of  angels 
that  were  to  come  ?  Outside  of  Spiritualism  they  cannot  be 
found. 

As  to  its  being  unlawful  to  hold  intercourse  with  our 
departed  friends,  it  would  be  as  reasonable  to  declare  tele¬ 
graphy  illegal.  We  are  sometimes  defied  to  produce  any 
Scripture  texts  which  command  or  sanction  spirit  com¬ 
munion  ;  one  might  as  well  refuse  to  ride  in  a  train,  or  use 
the  electric  light,  for  there  are  no  passages  commanding  the 
use  of  either. 

Dr.  S.  B.  Brittain  says:  ‘It  was  the  recognition  of  many 
inferior  divinities  to  the  neglect  of  the  Hebrew  Jehovah 
that  called  down  the  denominations  of  Moses  and  the 
prophets.  Among  all  men  the  Spiritualists  would  be  the 
last  religious  body  in  the  world  to  entertain  the  idea  of  re 
viving  the  polytheistic  faith  and  worship  of  the  ancient 
pagan  nations.  They  are  not  hero-worshippers.  They  have 
not  the  excessive  reverence  which  would  render  the  apothe¬ 
osis  of  any  man  a  possibility  in  their  history.  As  a  people 
they  have  no  agency  in  the  business  of  fashioning  and  mul¬ 
tiplying  gods,  either  for  themselves  or  others;  and  those 
who  have  made  much  progress  accept  no  authority,  visible 
or  invisible,  but  Truth  demonstrated.’ 

Some  few  objectors  raise  the  cry,  ‘It  is  of  the  Devil.’  but 
that  has  lost  its  power  to  scare  the  majority  of  people,  since 
every  good  worker  and  work,  from  Jesus  downwards,  has 
been  met  with  the  same  opposition. 

AN  UNHOLY  ALLIANCE. 

Materialistic  scientists  oppose  Spiritualism,  in  the  Bible 
or  out  of  it,  on  the  a  priori  ground  of  impossibility,  because 
they  refuse  to  admit  the  existence  of  the  human  soul,  and 
repudiate  the  idea  of  supernatural  interference  with  the 
order  of  the  universe.  But  to  find  Christians  joined  in  un- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumskip 


91 


holy  alliance  with  them,  using  the  weapons  of  Materialism 
against  Spiritualism,  is  a  sign  of  the  times  indeed,  and 
proves  that  their  professions  of  faith  are  professions  only; 
at  heart,  in  speech  and  practice,  they  evidence  the  fact  that 
they  are  Materialists. 

Epes  Sargent,  in  his  valuable  work,  ‘The  Scientific  Basis 
of  Spiritualism,’  very  truly  says:  ‘The  religion  prompted 
by  the  facts  of  Spiritualism  cannot  differ  largely  in  any 
essential  point  from  that  of  Primitive  Christianity.  This 
fact  of  Christ’s  re-appearance  was  the  cardinal  doctrine  of 
the  early  Christians,  their  common  faith  and  hope.  It  is 
for  the  very  reason  that  Spiritualism  has  a  scientific  basis 
in  known  and  demonstrated  facts,  that  it  offers  the  surest 
ground  for  religion.  It  proves  to  us  the  existence  of  etlieral 
beings  .  .  nay,  it  proves  that  our  deceased  friends  are 

still  alive,  and,  inferentially,  that  there  must  be  a  spirit- 
world,  however  impenetrable  it  may  be  to  mortal  sense.’ 


SEEK  AND  YE  SHALL  FIND.’ 

The  objection  is  sometimes  raised  that  we  have  no  right 
to  seek  to  hold  communion  with  spirits.  It  is  urged  that  if 
wre  vrere  intended  to  know  wre  should  not  need  to  inquire, 
yet  one  of  the  earliest  instances  of  a  manifestation  of  spirit 
power  (or  what  is  recorded  as  such)  is  reported  in  Genesis 
xv.,  where  Abraham  waited  for  a  manifestation  from  his 
‘God,’  or  ‘guide,’  and  ‘a  deep  sleep  fell  upon  him,  and  ‘an 
horror  of  great  darkness,’  a  ‘smoking  furnace  and  a  burn¬ 
ing  lamp  passed  between  the  pieces’  (verses  12  and  17). 
The  priests  in  the  Temple  constantly  sought  counsel,  and 
they  wore  the  Urira  and  Thummim  for  the  purpose  of 
‘crystal-seeing.’  That  it  was  customary  to  ‘seek’  for  spirit 
guidance  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  we  are  informed, 
quite  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  Saul  sought  unto  the  Lord, 
‘but  the  Lord  answered  him  not.’  Joseph  sought  for  guid¬ 
ance,  and  used  a  divining  cup  for  the  purpose.  The  whole 
story  of  Balaam  indicates  the  same  thing:  ‘Tarry  ye  also 
here  this  night  that  I  may  know  what  the  Lord  will  say 
unto  me  more.’  (Numbers  xxii.  19.)  See  also  xxiii.  3:  ‘T 
will  go;  peradventure  the  Lord  will  come  to  mee  me.’  That 
it  was  customary  to  visit  mediums  for  the  purpose  of  ob- 


92 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


taining  counsel  and  guidance  is  clearly  set  forth  in  1  Sam¬ 
uel  ix.  6  and  9.  Nothing  could  be  more  definite.  Saul 
is  assured  that  Samuel  is  a  man  of  God.  and  an  honorable 
man.  Then  we  get  this  explanation:  ‘When  a  man  went  to 
inquire  of  God,  thus  he  spake,  Come  and  let  us  go  to  the 
seer;  for  he  that  is  now  called  a  prophet  was  beforetime 
called  a  seer.’  The  phrase, 

‘inquire  of  the  lord/ 

is  frequently  used,  and  indicates  the  common  practice. 
Ezekiel  was  unquestionably  a  seer,  a  trance  speaker,  and  a 
clairvoyant  and  clairaudient  medium,  if  the  record  is  trust¬ 
worthy.  The  Rev.  J.  Page  TIopps,  in  his  ‘Thus  Saith  the 
Lord,  ’  says :  ‘  The  one  little  sentence — Ezekiel  was  a  spirit 
medium— ex  plains  the  whole  book.  He  held  regular  seances, 
and  the  description  of  them  in  his  book  will  be  familiar 
to  every  Spiritualist.  A  few  instances  will  suffice  to  show 
this.  In  chapter  viii.  1,  we  read:  “And  it  came  to  pass  in 
the  sixth  year,  in  the  sixth  month,  in  the  fifth  day  of  the 
month,  as  I  sat  in  mine  house,  and  the  elders  of  Judah  sat 
before  me,  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  God  fell  there  upon 
me.”  This  phrase,  “I  sat  in  mine  house,  and  the  elders  of 
Judah  sat  before  me,”  is,  in  the  circumstances,  a  perfect 
description  of  a  seance.  The  same  formula  occurs  in  other 
places.  Chapter  xiv.  1 :  “  Then  came  certain  of  the  elders 
of  Israel  unto  me,  and  sat  before  me.  And  the  word  of 
the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,”  &c/ 

In  chapter  ii.  of  Daniel  we  find  that  Daniel,  -when  re¬ 
quested  to  interpret  the  king’s  dream,  sought  his  friends, 
and  they  held  a  seance  over  the  affair,  desiring  guidance, 
and  Daniel  had  a  night  vision. 

JSSUS  A  SPIRITUALIST. 

We  deny  emphatically,  that  Spiritualism  is  contrary 
to  tHe  practices  of  the  prophet-mediums,  and  declare  that 
Jesits  set  the  example  of  seeking  to  communicate  with  spir¬ 
its,  for  we  find  him  selecting  his  beloved  companions  and 
taking  them  away  from  the  people  and  holding  a  seance  on 
the  mountain,  where  he  prayed  and  waited,  and  finally 


A  Guide  io  Mediumship  93 

‘Moses  and  Elias’  appeared  unto  them  and  talked  to  Jesus 
(Matt,  xvii.) 

Christians  claim  that  they  are  now  living  under  ‘Grace,’ 
not  under  ‘Law,’  and  excuse  themselves  in  that  way  for 
non-  obedience  to  certain  Old  Testament  commands.  If, 
therefore,  we  were  to  admit  that  the  Mosaic  commands 
against  withcraft,  &e.,  applied  to  Modern  Spiritualism 
(which  we  do  not  admit),  we,  too,  can  adopt  the  claim  that 
‘the  Law’  of  Moses  has  been  superseded  by  the  sanction  and 
action  oF Jesus. 

William  Howitt  well  says:  ‘Jesus  went  to  seek  this 
spirit  as  if  the  case  was  studied  literally  .  .  to  Moses, 

the  very  man  who  prohibited  such  an  act.  and  there  on  the 
mount  broke  the  law  before  his  fact,  and  by  his  example 
taught  his  disciples  to  do  the  same.’ 

Jesus  declared  that  God  is  more,  willing  to  give  to  the 
hungry-hearted  than  an  earthly  father  is  to  give  food  to 
his  offspring,  and  he  made  this  emphatic  promise,  ‘_Seek  and 
ye  shall  tind,  knock  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you,’  and 
this  is  a  promise  ‘of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him.’ 
(Luke  xi.  1  to  13.)  We  might  rest  our  case  there  and  rely 
upon  the  plain  meaning  of  the  words,  but  we  are  assured 
that  Jesus  manifested  to  Paul  (then  Saul).  ‘I  am  Jesus 
whom  thou  persecutest,"’  and  the  revisers  have  been  com¬ 
pelled  to  admit  that  Paul  travelled  about  under  the  guid¬ 
ance  of  Jesus.  ‘The  Revised  Version  contains’  (says  Rev. 
JTPage  Hopps),  ‘a  small  but  very  significant  alteration. 
In  Acts  xvi.  7,  Paul  and  Silas,  when  about  to  go  into  Bi- 
thynia,  were  forbidden*  says  the  Old  Version  “by  the 
spirit”;  but  the  Revised  Version  says  “the  spirit  of  Jesus 
suffered  them  not.”  What  a  revelation  this  is  if  we  can  ac¬ 
cept  it!  Jesus  had  been  dead,  to  use  our  poor  blind  word, 
for  several  years ;  and  yet  here  were  these  Apostles  travel¬ 
ling  about  under  his  guidance!  We  turn  our  cold  critical 
eye,  perhaps  our  eye  of  pity  or  contempt,  upon  people  who 
talk  of  spirit  communion,  and  yet  here,  as  with  the  flash 
of  light,  we  find  spirit  communion  quietly  referred  to  as  a 
matter  of  fact  and  homely  incident.  * 

FauTsays: ‘  Concerning  spiritual  gifts,  brethren,  I  would 
not  have  you  ignorant.’  Covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts.’ 


94 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

‘The  manifestation  of  the  spii-it  is  given  to  every  man  to 
profit  withal.’  The  gifts  are  enumerated  as  the  word  of 
wisdom  (inspirational  speaking),  faith,  working  of  miracles 
(physical  phenomena),  clairvoyance,  the  word  of  knowl¬ 
edge,  healing,  prophecy,  tongues,  and  interpretation.  All 
these  gifts  are  given  by  the  self-same  spirit,  dividing  to 
every  man  severally  as  he  will.  The  same  God  worketh  all 
in  all. 

How  anyone  can  ‘covet,’  and  ‘cultivate’  spiritual  gifts 
and  exercise  mediumship  without  seeking  the  aid  of  spirits 
and  receiving  their  ministrations  of  comfort,  we  fail  to  see. 
We  claim  that  Spiritualists  are  the  truest  believers  in  the 
Bible,  the  truest  followers  of  the  practices  of  the  Bible  me¬ 
diums,  and  that  those  prejudiced  and  narrow-minded  in¬ 
terpreters  of  the  Scriptures,  who  decry  Spiritualism  as 
un- Scriptural,  really  do  not  know  of  what  they  are  talk¬ 
ing — ‘Having  eyes  they  see  not,  and  ears  they  hear  not,’ 
and  the  advice  given  to  the  silversmiths  of  Ephesus  is  most 
applicable  to  them:  ‘Let  them  alone:  for  if  this  counsel 
or  this  work  be  of  men  it  will  come  to  nought :  but  if  it  be 
of  God  ye  cannot  overthow  it ;  lest  haply  ye  be  found  even 
to  fight  against  God.’ 

The  value  of  mediumship  consists  primarily  in  the  fact 
that  it  supplements  and  confirms  the  hopes  and  intuitions 
of  the  human  heart  and  gives  certitude  in  place  of  conjec¬ 
ture,  knowledge  instead  of  belief.  This  all-important  re¬ 
sult  of  the  strenuous  efforts  of  spirit  people,  of  the  noble 
fidelity  of  mediums,  of  the  persistent  devotion  of  the  pioneer 
advocates  of  the  facts  of  spirit  intercourse,  is  now  being 
recognized  by  advanced  thinkers  in  all  realms.  The  splen¬ 
did  services  of  the  heroic  but  despised  sensitives  who  bore 
the  brunt  of  the  world’s  scorn  and  contumely  during  the 
past  half  century  are  at  last  winning  recognition,  and  the 
world’s  desire — its  ‘longing  after  immortality’ — is  to-day 
established  as  a  conviction  based  upon  demonstration — no 
longer  a  dream  but  a  scientific  assurance. 


A  GUIDE  TO  MEDIUMSHIP 

AND  PSYCHICAL  UNFOLDMENT 


BY 

E.  W.  AND  M.  H.  WALLIS 
9n  Slljm  Parts 


PART  II. 

HOW  TO  DEVELOP  MEDIUMSHIP. 


Descend,  and  touch  and  enter,  hear 
The  wish  too  strong  for  words  to  name; 

That  in  this  blindness  of  the  frame 
My  Ghost  may  feel  that  thine  is  near. 

##**#**#*#* 

So  word  by  word,  and  line  by  line, 

The  dead  man  touch’d  me  from  the  past. 

And  all  at  once  it  seem’d  at  last 
The  living  soul  was  flash’d  on  mine. 

Tennyson. 

The  Occult  Publishing  House 
Chicago,  III. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Having  already  explained  tlie  general  aspects  of  me- 
diumsliip  in  the  first  part  of  this  ‘Guide,’  we  deal  in  the 
following  pages  specifically  and  in  detail  with  the  more 
immediate  and  personal  considerations  involved  in  the  de¬ 
velopment  and  exercise  of  mediumship.  and  give  such  ad¬ 
vise  to  inquirers  regarding  circle  holding,  and  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  sensitives,  as  we,  from  our  experience,  deem  neces¬ 
sary  and  helpful.  In  like  manner,  we  seek  to  assist  those 
who  have  had  indications  that  they  are  mediumistic  and 
that  spirits  are  in  sympathy  with  and  influencing  them; 
as  also  to  counsel  those  who  desire  to  become  mediums  re¬ 
garding  the  conditions  for  the  development  and  the  wise 
exercise  of  mediumistic  powers. 

In  part  three  of  this  ‘Guide’  we  shall  present  the  meth¬ 
ods  to  be  followed  by  sensitives  to  intensify  their  impres¬ 
sibility  and  cultivate  their  psychic  powers,  but  we  now 
devote  our  attention  almost  exclusively  to  the  exercise  of 
the  faculties  of  the  inner  self  under  the  stimulation  and 
guiding  control  of  spirits. 

Many  mediums,  when  influenced  by  their  spirit  friends, 
display  marked  abilities  as  clairvoyants,  character, readers 
and  psychometrists.  They  diagnose  the  conditions  of 
those  who  suffer,  and  are  frequently  used  by  healing  spirits 
to  magnetize  the  sick  and  cure  the  afflicted ;  To~  give  counsel, 
warning  or  encouragement  to  those  who  are  worried  and 
distressed  in  mind,  body  or  estate. 

As  a  reactive  result  of  the  influence  of  and  continued 
association  with  such  intelligent  spirits,  sensitives  fre¬ 
quently  find  that  they  can  normally  exercise  their  own 
psychic  faculties,  and  after  a  time  can  do  so  as  successfully 
as  when  under  spirit  control. 

Because  self-respecting  mediums  may  thus  acquire  the 
ability  to  consciously  enter  the  ‘superior  condition,’  that  ia 
no  proof  that  they  ‘do  it  all  themselves,’  or  that  they 
‘never  were  assisted  or  controlled  by  spirit  operators,’  as 
some  people  have  imagined.  It  merely  shows  how  benefi- 


eial  spirit  guidance  and  influence  have  been.  By  their  aid 
mediums  have  acquired  the  power  to  reach  lip  to  the 
psychic  or  spiritual  realm  and  become  consciously  asso¬ 
ciated  with  and  intelligently  responsive  to  the  thoughts 
of  spirit  people  and  to  co-operate  with  them  in  demon¬ 
strating  immortality  and  proclaiming  the  spiritual 
philosophy. 

E.  W.  and  M.  H.  Wallis. 


PART  IX 


CONTENTS 

CII  AFTER  PAGE 

I. — The  Basis  and  Cultivation  of  Mediumship  .  .  99 

II.  — Spirit  Circles  :  How  to  Form  and  Conduct  Them  116 

III.  — How  ‘Conditions’  Affect  Results  ....  129 

IV.  — Practical  Advice  to  Sensitives . 141 

V. — Practical  Advice  to  Sensitives — Continued  .  .  158 

VI. — Obsession  :  Its  Causes  and  Cure  ....  180 

VII. — Some  Important  Considerations  .....  194 


PART  II. 


HOW  TO  DEVELOP  MEDIUMSHIP. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  BASIS  AND  CULTIVATION  OF  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Any  form  of  mediumship  which  does  not  contribute  to 
our  own  personal  unfoldment  or  growth  is  something  which 
we  neither  need  nor  want,  and  should  therefore  be  most  de¬ 
terminedly  rejected. — Loveland. 

A  knowledge  of  thelaws  and  conditions  of  mediumship 
is  a  primary  requisite  for  the  successful  investigation  of 
Spiritualism;  and  to  the  neglect  of  this  important  prelim¬ 
inary  may  be  traced  most  of  the  difficulties,  contradictions, 
and  disappointments  which  beset  the  road  of  even  the  most 
earnest  and  painstaking  who  enter  the  path  of  practical  in¬ 
vestigation. — W.  II.  Terry. 

Many  persons  are  natural  sensitives,  and  are  more  or 
less  easily  swayed  by  the  personal  magnetism  and  positive 
mental  influence  of  those  with  whom  they  associate.  They 
'take  on’  and  refleet  the  conditions  that  surround  them,  al¬ 
though  they  may  be  unaware  that  such  is  the  fact ;  and  the 
study  of  the  laws  of  psychic  relationships  would  enable 
them  to  gain  strength  of  character  and  of  will.  Such  people 
are  not  infrequently  stigmatized  as  ‘changeable,’  ‘weak- 
minded,’  ‘erratic,’  and  ‘unreliable,’  because  of  their  lia¬ 
bility  to  be  affected  by  their  surroundings ;  and  they  would 
profit  by  self-study  and  by  watchful  attention  to  their  vary¬ 
ing  moods,  so  as  to  cultivate  a  more  positive  and  self-pos¬ 
sessed  state  of  mind,  and  obtain  self-control. 


fOO  A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

THREE  GROUPS. 

Speaking  somewhat  roughly,  the  majority  of  people 
can  be  classified  into  one  or  other  of  three  groups:  viz., 
Positives,  or  actors,  those  who  exert  a  dominating  influence 
over  others ;  Negatives,  or  those  who  are  liable  to  be  domi¬ 
nated  and  manipulated  by  others;  and  an  intermediate 
class,  consisting  of  those  who  are  positive  at  times  and  to 
some  people,  but  negative  at  other  times  and  to  other  peo¬ 
ple,  or  varying  between  positive  and  negative  as  they 
themselves  change  in  physical  conditions  and  mental 
moods. 

It  should,  however,  be  borne  in  mind  that  an  individual 
who  is  ordinarily  a  Positive  may  not  always  be  so.  He  may 
occasionally  meet  with  others  even  more  positive  than  him¬ 
self.  His  own  conditions  may  alter  owing  to  illness  and 
other  causes;  or  ~by  his  sympathy  and  confidence  being 
aroused  and  won,  he  may  be  ‘off  guard/  so  to  speak,  and 
become  negative  to  those  who  usually  would  have  no  power 
over  him. 

SENSITIVENESS  INDISPENSABLE  TO  MEDIUMSHIP. 

‘It  is  a  fundamental  proposition,’  says  Hudson  Tuttle, 
‘that  sensitiveness,  or  the  capability  of  mediumship,  is  a 
faculty  common  to  mankind,  differing  in  degree— as  hear¬ 
ing  and  sight  are  common  heritage,  but  keener  in  some  in¬ 
dividuals  than  in  others;  or  under  certain  conditions  it 
may  disappear.  ’  * 

The  mediumistic  temperament  is  often  characterized  by 
self-consciousness  and  diffidence,  or  by  nervous  self-as¬ 
sertiveness  on  the  part  of  its  possessor.  People  of  this 
class  are  almost  invariably  emotional,  enthuiastic,  spon¬ 
taneous,  and  ardent.  Strong  in  their  predilections,  they 
are  decided  in  their  ‘likes’  and  ‘dislikes,’  but  are  some¬ 
times  variable,  volatile,  and  versatile.  Zealous  workers  in 
what  they  feel  is  a  good  cause,  they  are  generally  stem  and 
forcible  in  condemnation  of  what  they  deem  to  be  wrong, 
but  are  seldom  intractable.  They  are  wounded  to  the 
quick  by  sneers  and  slights ;  but,  while  they  may  be  re- 

*  ‘Mediumship  rind  its  Laws  :  Its  Conditions  and  Cultivatioa.’ 


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101 


sentful,  they  seldom  sulk  and  are  generally  forgiving  and 
ready  to  help  others  who  appeal  to  their  sympathies. 
‘Generous  and  impulsive,  hot-headed  too  and  independent, 
a  close  friend  and  a  merry  heart ;  too  sensitive  to  criticism 
of  an  unkind  nature ;  too  easily  pleased  by  praise ;  without 
malice,  without  revengeful  thoughts ;  a  warm-blooded  man, 
with  an  ever  present  humor  that  gilds  his  conversation  and 
makes  his  company  well  liked.’  Such  is  the  description 
given  by  an  American  writer  of  one  through  whose  me¬ 
diumship  remarkable  materialization  phenomena  have  been 
witnessed. 

WHAT  A  MEDIUM  IS. 

A  medium  may  be  defined  as  a  person  who  is  constitu¬ 
tionally  sensitive  or  susceptible  to  ‘influence/  and  responds 
more  or  less  readily  to  the  dominant  thoughts,  ‘sugges¬ 
tions,’  or  impulses  that  impinge  upon  his  psychic,  or  mag¬ 
netic  sphere;  or  one  who  freely  generates  nerve  aura,  mag¬ 
netism,  psychoplasm,  or  psychic  force  (whichever  term 
mayjiejpreferred) ,  which  can  be  utilized  by  the  operating 
spirits  to  produce  the  outward  and  visible  evidences  of 
their  power  and  presence  that  are  usually  designated 
‘physical  phenomena.’  Spirits  cannot  manufacture  the 
energy  employed  in  the  production  of  these  demonstra¬ 
tions,  and  therefore  they  must  draw  upon  the  store  pos¬ 
sessed  by  the  medium,  who,  where  possible,  unconsciously 
attracts  to  himself  some  of  the  psychic  force  of  others. 

‘diversities  of  gifts.’ 

The  assertion  that,  is  sometimes  made  that  ‘everyone  is 
a  medium’  is  somewhat  misleading.  Tt,  would  be  nearer 
the  truth  to  say.  ‘Everyone  one  is  a  spirit,’  and  is  there¬ 
fore  endowed  with  the  qualifications  which  may  be  culti¬ 
vated  and  exercised  with  more  or  less  success  in  one  or 
other  of  the  several  phases  of  mediumship.  This  of  course 
implies  that  there  are  not  only  ‘diversities  of  gifts,’  but 
different  degrees  of  susceptibilty ;  and  the  aspirant  for  me¬ 
diumship  will  do  well  to  remember  that,  to  use  a  familiar 
and  an  expressive  phrase,  ‘Many  are  called  but  few  are 
chosen’;  or,  in  other  words,  many  arc  sensitives  but  few 


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possess  the  physico-psychical,  mental  and  spirtiual  qualifi¬ 
cations  for  special  excellence  in  any  given  direction. 

"While  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that,  broadly  speaking, 
every  one  has  some  latent  mediumistic  power,  the  question 
is.  as  "Mr.  "W.  H.  Terry  says:  ‘Does  the  prospective  result 
justify  the  labor  involved  to  bring  these  powers  into  efflor- 
/  escence?  My  impression  is,  that  in  at  least,  three  eases 
ont  of  four,  the  time  and  labor  it  would  take  to  develop 
this  latent  quality  to  its  greatest  effieiecy  would  be  far  in 
excess  of  its  value  when  so  developed.’ 

Just  as  a  drum,  or  a  tambourine,  is  incapable  of  being 
made  to  emit  a  tithe  of  what  can  be  produced  by  means  of 
i  a  piano  or  a  violin  in  the  way  of  music,  so  the  differences 
in  quality  and  conditions  of  the  physical  organisms,  and 
In  the  degrees  of  nervous  and  psychical  sensibility  of 
those  who  desire  mediumship,  render  it  improbable  that 
any  but  a  small  proportion  will  develop  such  extreme 
susceptibility  to  spirit  influence  as  will  repay  them  for  the 
time  and  self-sacrifice  involved  in  the  cultivation  of  their 
powers.  Further,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  while 
wise  spirits  are  ever  ready  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the 
earnest  aspirant  for  spiritual  truth,  as  wise  spirits  they 
are  not  likely  to  devote  themselves  to  the  preparation  of 
an  instrument  that  would  be  inefficient  for  their  purpose. 

The  nervous  system  of  the  medium,  what  ever  his  phase 
may  be,  has  to  be  trained  to  respond  to  the  will  and 
psychic  force  of  the  controlling  spirit,  just  as  much  as  the 
muscles  of  the  musician  or  artist,  and  ‘practice  makes  per¬ 
fect’  in  the  one  as  well  as  the  other."  Since  mediumship 
is  a  strictly  natural  qualification,  depending  upon  organic 
fitness  and  susceptibility,  it  is  not  a  supernatural  power 
or  a  special  ‘gift.’  neither  does  it  insure  the  moral  purity 
nor  the  intellectual  ability  of  the  medium,  any  more  than 
"musical  or  artistic  capabilities  are  evidences  of  the  special 
intelligence  or  the  high  moral  tones  of  their  possessors. 

MEDIUMSHIP  A  FORM  OF  GENIUS. 

The  spirits  who  employed  the  hand  of  ‘M.  A.  (Oxon),’ 
once  caused  him  to  write  a  message  in  which  they  claimed 
that  ‘Mediumship  is  a  development  of  that  which  is,  in 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


103 


another  sort,  genius.  Genius,  the  opened  and  attentive 
ear  to  spirit  guidance  and  inspiration,  shades  away  into 
mediumship.  the  facile  instrument  of  spirit  manifestation. 
In  proporton  as  the  medium  becomes  open  to  influence, 
directly  exercised,  is  he  valuable  as  a  means  whereby  direct 
messages  are  conveyed ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  individual 
spirit  is  lost  and  merged  in  the  great  ocean  oFspirit,  is  the 
result  most  direct  and  serviceable.  .  .  It  is  when  the  passive 
spirit  is  content  to  allow  us  to  use  the  corporeal  instrument, 
as  is  does  when  itself  operates,  that  we  gain  satisfactory 
results.  That  can  only  be  when  a  condition  of  perfect 
passivity,  as  far  removed  from  scepticism  as  from  credul¬ 
ity,  has  been  secured.  This  opening  of  the  spiritual  being 
to  spiritual  influences  is  what  you  call  mediumship.  It  is 
rare  yet,  but  not  so  rare  as  you  imgainc.  .  .  The  true  and 
valuable  gift  is  purely,  spiritual  and  must  be  used  for  spir¬ 
itual  purposes ;  not  for  gain,  or  for  satisfying  curiosity,  or 
for  base  or  unworthy  ends.’ 

NATURAL  MEDIUMS. 

Some  people  are  more  or  less  fully  conscious  of  the 
companionship  of  spirit  people.  They  frequently  catch 
glimpses  of  those  they  have  known  and  loved,  or,  under 
exceptionally  favorable  circumstances,  are  the  recipients 
of  clear  impressions  and  striking  phenomenal  manifesta¬ 
tions  of  spirit  power.  But  these  experiences  are  often  an¬ 
noying  and  troublesome,  because  their  friends  are  dis¬ 
tressed  by  their  ‘peculiarities,’  and  imagine  that  they  are 
not  sane,  or  are  doomed  to  an  early  death.  If  we  may 
form  an  opinion  by  the  testimony  of  many  of  our  friends, 
the  number  of  those  whose  spiritual  experiences  were  in¬ 
explicable  until  they  heard  of  and  understood  something 
of  Spiritualism,  is  by  no  means  small,  and  we  have  on 
doubt  that  there  are  a  great  many  persons  who  are  per¬ 
plexed  and  often  distressed,  both  in  mind  and  body,  to 
whom  a  knowledge  of  mediumship  and  the  laws  of  spirit 
control  would  prove  a  great  blessing. 

SPONTANEOUS  EXPERIENCES. 

Those  persons  who  are  naturally  sensitive  sometimes 
experience  strange  and  sudden  impulses.  Thoughts  come 


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to  them  ‘in  a  flash,’  so  to  speak.  They  say  things  spon¬ 
taneously  which  the}'  had  not  intended  to  say — the  words 
seem  to  burst  from  them  and  to  ‘say  themselves.’  Others 
have  equally  sudden  and  fugitive  clairvoyant  experiences; 
they  see  spirits  when  they  least  expect  it.  and  when  they 
are  absorbed  in  something  else;  but  when  they  strongly  de¬ 
sire  to  ‘see’  or  to  receive  guidance,  they  get  nothing.  This 
state  of  things,  in  all  probability,  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
their  susceptibility  is  not  sufficiently  developed;  their 
psychical  impressibility  can  ony  be  reached  and  acted  upon 
under  specially  favorable  conditions,  which  are  disturbed 
and  dissipated  when  the  ordinary  intellectual  self  is 
'aroused.  The  remedy  will  be  found  in  the  systematic  cul¬ 
tivation  of  interior  repose  and  confidence.  The  psychic 
must  learn  to  regard  it  as  a  perfectly  natural  experience 
that  the  spiritual  states  and  positive  thoughts  of  excarnate 
people  should  impinge  upon  his  spiritual  sphere,  and  while 
‘attentive  to  the  holy  vision,’  should  calmly  accept  the  fact 
and  maintain  the  attitude  or  response;  not  anxiously  nor 
demandingly,  but  thankfully  enjoying  the  spiritual  com¬ 
munion  and  illumination  thus  afforded  to  him. 

If  is  only  natural  that  many  people  should  desire  to 
become  mediums,  and  that  they  should  wish  to  ascertain 
what  constitutes  mediumship  and  what  is  requisite  to  se¬ 
cure  its  development.  We  often  hear  some  such  exclama¬ 
tions  as  the  following:  ‘I  should  like  to  be  a  medium  and 
to  speak  like - ,’  or  ‘give  tests  like - ,’  or  ‘have  phe¬ 
nomena  presented  like  those  that  occur  with - ’ ;  but 

those  who  express  these  desires  should  remember  that  in 
all  probability  months,  if  not  years,  of  patient  development 
have  been  necessary  to  ensure  the  ability  and  success  they 
admire  and  probably  envy. 

THE  SPIRIT  CIRCLE. 

The  ‘spirit  circle’  is  the  assembling  together  of  a  num¬ 
ber  of  thoughtful  and  sincere  people  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  the  means  of  intercommunion  between  the  two 
■worlds,  and  it  has  been  found  to  be  the  simplest,  readiest, 
and  most  effective  method  for  the  discovery  and  develop- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  10i 

ment  of  latent  psychic  and  mediumistic  powers.  It  is 
called  by  Hudson  Tuttle  'the  primary  school  for  the  study 
of  spiritual  facts/  and,  we  might  add,  the  training  of 
mediums. 

Sensitives  are  sometimes  too  ready  to  respond  to  any 
and  every  passing  influence,  and  to  attribute  their  own 
moods  and  feelings,  or  purely  natural  sensations,  to  spirit 
influence.  They  are  so  eager  to  believe,  and  become  so  ab- 
sorbed  in  the  subject,  that  the  veriest  commonplaces  as¬ 
sume  exaggerated  importance  in  their  eyes,  and  they  mis¬ 
take  for  spirit  action  the  indefinite  and  seemingly  inex¬ 
plicable  impulses  and  sensations  which  they  regard  as 
promptings  or  impressions  from  the  other  side,  whereas 
there  may  be  perfectly  natural  physiological  causes  for 
them. 

A  SAFE  RULE  TO  FOLLOW. 

It  is  a  fairly  safe  rule,  all  things  considered,  not  to 
attribute  anything  to  the  action  or  influence  of  spirits  un¬ 
til  the  ordinary  and  more  immediate  and  probable  causes 
TTaye  been  exhausted,  or  until  the  influence,  or  impression, 
becomes  so  clear  and  unmistakable  that  there  can  no  longer 
be  any  doubt  as  to  the  spirits  source.  But  even  then  it 
does  not  follow  that  the  spirit  is  one  that  the  medium 
should  trust  and  obey.  lie  may  be  attracted,  and  even 
fascinated,  but  he  must  proceed  cautiously  and  patiently, 
and  by  no  means  invite  any  and  every  spirit  to  influence 
him,  in  season  or  out  of  season.  Neither  should  he  implic¬ 
itly  rely  upon  the  ideas,  advice,  or  messages  he  receives. 
The  spirits  are  of  all  sorts  and  conditions,  and  there  are 
so  many  attendant  circumstances  oud  influences  which 
limit  the  intercourse  that  great  care  and  patience  are 
needed,  and  every  step  on  the  road  needs  to  be  circum¬ 
spectly  taken.  It  is  better  to  make  haste  slowly  and  be 
sure  of  the  facts,  than  it  is  to  believe  credulously  and 
afterwards  find  that  mistakes  have  been  made,  or  that  mis¬ 
leading  spirits  have  seen  their  opportunity — and  have 
taken  it — to  practise  upon  the  too  eager  faith  and  un¬ 
questioning  acquiscence  in  their  sportive  plans. 

There  are  mediums  who  have  secured  a  certain  degree 
of  unfoldment  and  lucidifv.  and  can  give  a  fair  amount  of 


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A  Guide  io  Mediumship 


satisfaction  to  inquirers,  but  who  are  not  strong  enough 
to  withstand  adverse,  critical,  and  chilling  influences. 
They  droop  and  fail  in  the  presence  of  sceptical  or  cynical 
people,  and  ought  not  to  venture  before  the  public  until 
their  powers  are  more  fully  developed.  In  the  happy  pri¬ 
vate  circle  they  are  useful  and  render  very  acceptable  serv¬ 
ice,  and,  possibly,  after  prolonged  experience  might  be¬ 
come  more  positive,  through  the  greater  activity  of  their 
own  spiritual  nature,  so  that  a  larger  work  could  then  be 
successfully  performed;  but  patience  and  persistent  en- 
deavor  are  requisite  in  this  realm  as  in  all  others,  so  as  to 
secure  steady  and  orderly  unfoldment  rather  than  rapid 
but  imperfect  growth. 

CONSIDERATION  FOR  THOSE  WHO  DESIRE  TO  BECOME  MEDIUMS. 

What  has  already  been  said  will  naturally  suggest  to 
aspirants  for  the  possession  of  mediumship  inquiry  as  to 
the  nature  and  extent  of  the  application  requisite  in  their 
case  to  evolve  the  essential  condition  for  its  successful 
exercise,  and  the  result  of  which  would  test  the  strength 
of  their  aspirations  and  probably  deter  a  large  proportion 
of  those  who  desire  to  become  mediums,  but  are  unwilling 
to  devote  time  and  energy  to  the  necessary  study,  from 
attempting  the  task.  This  would  be  no  disadvantage  to 
them;  it  would  save  them  much  unprofitable  work. 

The  editor  of  the  ‘Harbinger  of  Light, ’  of  Melbourne. 
Australia,  very  forcibly  and  truly  says:  ‘All  mediums  are 
liable  to  be  affected  by  all  sorts  of  subtle  influences,  such 
as  a  loss  of  magnetism  on  their  own  part ;  a  lowered  vital¬ 
ity;  mental  trouble;  ill-health;  excessive  heat  or  excessive 
cold:  an  unsympathethie,  hostile,  or  inharmonius  circle; 
self-distrust,  and  a  multitude  of  other  disturbing  circum¬ 
stances.  The  more  delicate  the  organization,  the  more 
susceptible  the  medium  to  suffering  from  these  adverse 
conditions;  and  the  greater  and  the  more  considerate 
should  be  the  care  and  watchfulness  exercised  over  him  by 
his  friends.  And  again,  the  nonproductior,  of  the  results 
desired  by  the  sitters  does  not  depend  primarily  upon  the 
medium,  who  is  simply  a  plastic  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  the  controls,  who  may  see  many  good  reasons  for  not 


4  Guide  to  Mediumship 


107 


using  his  brain  or  voice.  For  the}"  can  perceive  what  the 
sitters  cannot;  and  while  the  latter  would  go  on  working 
the  powers  of  the  medium  to  excess,  the  higher  intelli¬ 
gences,  with  their  finer  appreciation  of  the  delicacy  of  their 
instrument,  and  of  the  duty  of  carefully  preserving  it, 
will  often  put  an  abrupt  and  decisive  stop  to  manifesta¬ 
tions,  which  are  always  liable  to  become  exhaustive.  The 
simple  truth  is,  that  even  those  who  have  had  the  greatest 
experience  in  Spiritualism  possess  but  a  limited  knowledge 
of  the  laws  and  phenomena  of  mediumship;  but  what  they 
do  know  suffices  to  convince  them  that  the  ancient  Egypt¬ 
ians,  Greeks,  and  Romans  acted  very  wisely  in  surround¬ 
ing  their  mediums — priestesses,  keepers  of  the  oracles,  and 
vestals,  as  they  were  variously  called — with  the  best  pos¬ 
sible  safeguards  for  the  preservation  and  protection  of 
their  beautiful  gifts.’ 

EARNESTNESS  AND  DEVOTION  REQUIRED. 

The  crucial  point  of  the  whole  matter  is  whether,  grant¬ 
ing  that  they  possess  the  requisite  natural  capabilities, 
those  who  seek  development  as  mediums  will  be  prepared  to 
devote  themselves  thoroughly  and  faithfully  to  the  task  of 
securing  the  coveted  results. 

Ella  Wheeler  AYilcox  points  out  in  a  forcible  manner  the 
great  need  there  is  for  earnestness  and  steady  devotion  to 
secure  success.  ‘So  many  of  us  are  shilly-shallying  along 
life  in  these  days.  "We  do  nothing  seriously.  We  are  in 
earnest  about  nothing.  We  all  want  to  be  multi-million¬ 
aires,  and  we  are  looking  for  sudden  and  quick  methods 
of  success.  By  success  we  mean  accumulating  a  large  for¬ 
tune.  Our  eye  is  out  for  the  sign.  “A  millionaire  while 
you  wrait,”  as  we  pursue  our  daily  avocations.  Just  as 
sure  as  the  continual  leaking  of  a  faucet  wastes  water  in 
a  reservoir,  so  this  continual  frittering  of  our  mental  forces 
in  frivolous  and  nonfocussed  thought  wastes  our  moral  and 
\nental  strength. 

‘The  man  who  is  in  earnest  not  only  brings  the  full 
powers  of  his  own  mind  and  soul  to  bear  upon  his  project, 
but  he  draws  about  him  the  influences  of  invisible  intelli¬ 
gences  who  people  space  and  come  to  the  aid  of  the  deserv¬ 
ing.  Whatever  your  aim  is  at  this  moment,  be  in  earnest.’ 


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A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


HOW  TO  DEVELOP  MEDIUMSHIP.’ 

The  question,  ‘How  can  we  develop  mediumship?’  may 
sound  rather  heretical  to  some  Spiritualists,  who  would  in 
all  probability  reply,  ‘What  have  we  to  do  with  develop¬ 
ment?  That  is  the  affair  of  the  spirits.  If  they  want  us 
to  become  their  mediums  let  them  do  the  work,  and  not 
expect  us  to  do  it  for  them.’  This  attitude  of  mind  was 
a  perfectly  natural  one  when  it  was  supposed  that  spirits 
were  exalted  beings,  possessing  supernatural  attributes; 
but,  as  our  knowledge  of  the  psychical  nature  of  man  has 
increased,  we  have  come  to  realize  that  the  powers  which 
are  possessed  and  employed  by  spirits  already  exist  in  us 
— dormant  it  may  be,  but  inherent  in  our  spiritual  nature. 
This  question  then,  ‘Can  mediums  assist  in  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  their  powers,  or  must  they  blindly  surrender  them¬ 
selves  to  be  manipulated  by  people  on  “the  other  side”  of 
whom  they  know  little  or  nothing?’  -is  one  that  requires 
careful  consideration. 

Admitting  that  the  spirits  are  the  prime  movers  in  pro¬ 
ducing  the  phenomena  which  demonstrate  their  presence, 
there  can  surely  be  no  objection  to  the  desire  on  the  part 
of  sensitives  to  know  how  they  can  provide  the  conditions 
which  will  render  them  fit  and  proper  instruments  for  the 
spirits  to  use ;  how  best  to  supply  them  with  the  ‘  power  ’— 
physical,  psychical,  mental,  or  moral — which  they  require. 

NOT  MERE  CONDUITS. 

We  unhesitatingly  affirm  that  it  is  not  necessary^  that 
mediums  should  regard  themselves  as  mere  ‘conduits’ 
through  which  the  spirits  are  to  pour  just  whatever  they 
choose.  Nay,  we  go  further,  and  claim  that  if  mediumship 
i's  to  be  lifted  above  the  plane  of  mere  sensationalism,  me¬ 
diums  must  study  their  own  powers,  and  learn  how  to  pro¬ 
vide  the  conditions  requisite  for  their  own  unfoldment,  so 
as  to  exercise  a  determining  influence  over  the  results  and 
share  the  responsibility  as  well  as  the  pleasures  and  spiritual 
benefits  accruing  from  the  co-operative  association.  It  is 
true  that  no  one  can  become  a  medium  solely  bv  his  own 
act,  or  by  his  oavu  will ;  but  surely  it  must  be  manifest  that 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


109 


those  whose  attention  and  anticipation  are  directed  towards 
the  reception  of  intimations  from  the  spirit  side  of  life  are 
much  more  likely  to  be  affected  thereby  than  those  persons 
who  are  hostile — or,  if  not  actively  antagonistic,  heedless 
and  indifferent. 

Although  there  are  certain  general  rules  which  apply 
to  mediumistic  development  each  medium  will  require  some 
special  condition,  or  conditions,  which  will  facilitate  the 
Best  manifestation  of  his  particular  powers.  Hence  the 
urgent  necessity  that  he  should  intelligently  co-operate 
with,  rather  than  render  blind  obedience  to.  the  spirits 
who  seek  to  control  him. 


EVERY  PHASE  OP  MEDITTMSIITP  VALUABLE. 

Every  phase  of  mediumship  is  valuable,  and  should  be 
used  to  the  fullest  extent  for  the  demonstration  of  the 
truth,  and  where  that  work  is  carried  out  in  the  spirit  of 
devotion  and  service  the  medium  will  assuredly  receive 
direct  and  reactive  benefits.  There  is  really  no  ‘high’  or 
‘low’  in  mediumship.  No  one  can  exceed  his  natural  capa¬ 
bilities;  therefore,  he  who  does  his  best  in  his  own  sphere 
merits  appreciation,  and  the  highest  mediumship  is  in  real¬ 
ity,  so  far  as  the  individual  is  concerned,  just  that  for 
which  he  is  qualified.  We  have  heard  of  ‘low’  medium- 
ship,  and  physical  manifestations  have  been  stigmatized 
as  ‘degrading,’  &c.,  but  the  production  of  a  ‘rap’  requires 
the  exercise  of  positive  spirit,  power  quite  as  much  as  an 
inspirational  address;  and  if  by  the  agency  of  the  raps,  or 
the  table  movements,  messages  of  a  convincing  and  con¬ 
solatory  character  are  transmitted  to  the  sitter,  they  are 
of  greater  value — as  evidence  of  the  personal  presence  and 
the  identity  of  excarnate  spirit  friends — than  the  most 
eloquent  oration.  Mediums  do  not  make  their  own  physi¬ 
cal  organizations.  It  is  not  to  the  credit  of  one  that  he 
has  clairvoyant  or  inspirational  powers,  or  to  the  discredit 
of  another  that  he  has  purely  ‘physical’  capabilities;  but 
it  is  to  the  credit  of  each  one  who  does  his  best  to  keep 
himself  in  tune  and  fit  for  use,  so  that  his  powers  may  be 


A  Guide  in  Mediumship 


no 

exercised  at  their  best  and  highest,  whatever  his  phase  may¬ 
be.  Remember — 

‘Nothing  useless  is  or  low'. 

Each  thing — in  its  place — is  best; 

And  that  which  seems  but  idle  show 
Strengthens  and  supports  the  rest.’ 

MEDIUMSHIP  STIMULATES  LATENT  POW'ERS. 

Dr.  Dean  Clarke  truly  says:  ‘Physical  phenomena  are 
very  pleasing  to  some  persons,  but  actually  repulsive  in 
the  eyes  of  others.  Temperament  largely  accounts  for  pref¬ 
erences  and  antipathies,  and  temperament  also  has  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  the  special  bent  of  one’s  qualifications,  no 
matter  in  what  direction.  It  may  be  safely  affirmed  that 
individual  taste  largely  reveals  particular  ability,  and  it 
rarely  if  ever  happens  that  anyone  develops  to  a  large  ex¬ 
tent  and  successfully  any  phase  of  mediumship  that  does 
not  closely  accord  with  the  general  trend  of  nature  and 
disposition. 

‘Tne  musical  medium  may  never  have  learned  notes, 
but  has  a  native  ear  for  melody,  and  loves  to  listen  to  sweet 
sounds.  The  inspired  scribe,  orator,  or  poet  may  have  had 
no  training  whatever  to  fit  him  for  the  profession  of  litera¬ 
ture  or  for  the  platform,  yet  there  dwells  w-ithin,  both  the 
love  of  the  art  and  an  innate  tendency  to  practise  it.  Me- 
djumship  stimulates  latent  powers,  and  calls  into  action 
dormant  capabilities;  but  its  possession  does  not  alter  the 
special  type  of  character  or  trend  of  ability  which  natur¬ 
ally  characterizes  the  mediumistie  person.’ 

WHAT  THE  MEDIUM  CAN  DO. 

The  aspirant  for  development  should  recognize  the  ad¬ 
visability,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  work  of  the  spirits,  be¬ 
fore  attending  a  seance,  of  making  some  personal  prepar¬ 
ation  ;  such  as  seeking  to  eliminate  from  his  mind  all  dis¬ 
turbing  or  irritating  thoughts,  and  by  striving  to  con¬ 
sciously  realize  unison  of  purpose  with  those  who  may  have 
previously  made  their  presence  known  or  indicated  their 


A  Guide  io  Mediimship 


111 


intention  to  help  in  the  work  of  his  development,  by  men¬ 
tally  requesting  that  the  spiritual  ties  may  be  strengthened. 
Even  where  there  has  not  been  any  clear  indication  of  the 
presence  of  spirit  helpers,  a  generally  aspirational  and 
receptive  attitude  of  mind  will  do  much  towards  providing 
favorable  conditions. 

It  is  unwise  to  persistently  endeavor  to  force  medium- 
ship  into  activity ;  but  when  it  expresses  itself  spontaneous- 
tyT'or  when  development  follows  upon  temperate  exercise, 
there  can  be  no  question  that,  rightly  used,  and  within 
proper  rational  limits,  it  will  prove  helpful  and  educational 
to  the  medium  and  of  service  to  others;  but  should  the 
exercise  of  mcdiumship  occasion  continued  ill-health  In 
its  possessor,  it  is  wisest  and  safest  to  abandon  it  temporar¬ 
ily  if  not  entirely. 

Too  many  people,  intead  of  waiting  until  the  spirits 
were  ready  to  communicate  with  them,  pressed  for  ‘tests’ 
before  the  connections  were  properly  made;  tlfey  compli¬ 
cated  matters  by  their  eager  questionings,  and  worried  the 
operators  till  everything  went  wrong,  and  then,  because 
the  answers  were  incorrect,  inconsequent,  misleading,  or 
persistently  negative,  they  declared  that  the  spirit  was  a  de¬ 
ceiver,  evil  or  foolish,  and,  while  having  only  themselves 
to  blame,  gave  up  the  sittings  in  distrust,  whereas,  had  they 
been  less  impetuous,  less  opinionated,  less  prejudiced  they 
would  in  all  probability  have  eventually  obtained  satis¬ 
factory  proofs  of  the  presence  of  their  spirit  loved  ones. 

PATIENCE  REWARDED. 

We  wonder  sometimes  what  those  people  would  say  who 
are  disappointed  because,  after  a  few  sittings,  they  have 
not  blossomed  out  into  developed  mediums,  if  they  had  to 
sit  night  after  night  for  six  months  without  missing  a  sit¬ 
ting  and  without  being  rewarded  by  any  sign  or  movement 
•or  external  evidence,  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riley,  of  America, 
are  reported  to  have  done. 

Although  there  was  no  outward  or  visible  sign  of  the 
spiritual  agency  that  was  at  work,  this  persevering  couple, 
after  waiting  for  six  months,  got  their  first  fact — the  table 


112 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


moved,  and  they  knew  that  they  had  not  moved  it  them¬ 
selves.  Evidently  the  spirits  had  not  tried  their  patience 
for  nothing,  they  had  been  busy  forming  the  connections, 
for,  from  that  time  onwards,  movements,  messages,  raps, 
writing,  and  finally  marvelous  materializations  followed  in 
fairly  quick  succession. 

THE  LESSONS  OP  FAILURES. 

It  is  unwise  to  expect  that  every  seance  will  be  success¬ 
ful,  and  sitters  should  not  be  disappointed  if  little  or  noth¬ 
ing  occurs.  Sometimes  a  ‘good  failure’  is  as  helpful  and 
as  educational  as  a  ‘grand  success,’  if  the  members  of  the 
circle  are  thoughtful  and  observant  and  endeavor  to  ascer¬ 
tain  the  causes  of  the  mon-success.  The  varying  conditions 
of  body  and  mind  of  the  medium  and  sitters  alike  have 
much  to  do  with  the  results,  affecting  as  they  do  the  health 
anjcTmoods  of  all  concerned.  Sometimes  the  sensitive  feels 
buoyant  and  free.  He  realizes  that  a  strong  influence  is 
at  work,  and  that  he  is  open  and  responsive,  and  readily 
answers  to  the  suggestions  that  are  given  to  him  from  the 
other  side ;  but  on  another  occasion  there  may  be  a  strange 
lack  of  life,  and  a  heavy  depressing  feeling,  a  sense  of 
isolation  and  of  being  empty  and  ‘shut  in’  may  overcloud 
him,  and  little  or  nothing  of  a  spiritual  or  satisfactory 
nature  occur.  Most  mediums  experience  periods  when 
they  are  ‘out  of  power,’  and  seem  to  have  lost  touch  with 
the  other  side.  It  may  be  that  they  have  exhausted  them¬ 
selves  by  overstrain,  their  spirit  friends  may  have  with¬ 
drawn  for  a  time,  the  sitters  may  be  tired,  unhappy,  or 
angular,  or  some  uncongenial  spirits  may  be  at  work  trying 
to  affect  the  sensitive,  or  to  obtain  power  to  move  the  table: 
In  any  case  sitters  must  be  prepared  to  experience  such 
variations  and  to  accept  them  with  philosophic  cheerful¬ 
ness.  It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  discriminate  between  re¬ 
sults  arising  from  the  stimulated  activity  of  the  spirit  self 
of  the  sensitive  and  those  which  are  due  to  the  operations 
of  the  excarnate  operator;  even  the  sensitive  cannot  at 
first,  tell  how  to  distinguish  between  them,  and  only  pa¬ 
tience  and  experience  will  enable  him  to  attain  the  ability 
to  do  so.  Tn  the  meantime  he  must  do  his  best. 


113 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

HOW  LONG  WILL  DEVELOPMENT  TAKE? 

It  is  impossible  to  estimate  how  long  it  will  take  to 
develop  the  sensitiveness  of  any  given  person  to  that  de¬ 
gree  of  responsiveness  to  spirit  influence  that  it  may  be 
regarded  as  ‘reliable,’  since  so  much  depends  upon  the  in¬ 
dividual — upon  his  natural  qualifications,  so  far  as  his 
susceptibility  is  concerned, ~ahd~ his  spiritual  preparedness, 
"as  welTas  his  willingness  and  perseverance.  Then,  too,  a 
good  circle  of  harmonious  and  intelligent  sitters  will  ma¬ 
terially  assist  in  The  process  of  his  unfoldment,  whereas  a 
circle  of  impatient  and  selfish  people  will  provide  condi¬ 
tions  which  will  retard  the  progress,  if  they  do  not  injure 
the  psychical  conditions,  of  the  unfortunate  sensitive.  The 
knowledge  and  power  of  the  spirits  who  communicate  and 
direct  the  circle  will  also  have  a  strong  determining  in¬ 
fluence  upon  the  results,  so  that  the  novice  who  desires  to 
succeed  should  decide  to  give  time  and  attention  to  the 
study  of  the  subject,  and  to  experiment  patiently  and  per- 
severingly — -without  haste  and  without  anxiety  or  fear. 

AN  essential  pre-requisite. 

One  of  the  most  important  pre-requisites  for  success 
in  the  development  of  mediumship  along  spiritual  lines  is 
the  cultivation  of  the  power  of  concentration.  In  the  early 
days  of  the  movement  the  would-be  medium  was  advised 
to  be  ‘passive,’  and  passivity  was  often  construed  into  self- 
effacement.  We  are  learning  to  distinguish  between  re¬ 
ceptivity  and  docility,  between  apathy  and  aspiration.  A 
medium  is  not,  and  should  not  be  willing  to  become,  a 
mere  irresponsible  tool.  For  intelligent  and  beneficial  as¬ 
sociation  with  and  inspiration  from  the  people  of  the 
higher  life, ^certain  degree  of  abstraction  from  one’s  outer 
surroundings  is  necessary.  To  cut  one’s  self  off  from  or¬ 
dinary  conditions,  to  retire  into  the  sanctuary  of  one’s  own 
inner  consciousness,  to  ‘enter  into  the  silence,’  as  it  is  some¬ 
times  called,  is  helpful  training  for  the  preparation  of  con¬ 
ditions  favorable  for  the  manifestation  of  spirit  power. 
The  Quakers  were  true  Spiritualists  in  this  sense,  and  evi¬ 
dently  realized  the  need  for  the  concentration  of  the  soul’s 


314 


A  Guide  fo  Medntmshlp 


forces  and  tlieir  withdrawal  from  the  outer  plane,  prepar¬ 
atory  to  the  descent  of  the  spiritual  influence  that  moved 
them  to  speak.  Thejsincere  supplication  for  illumination 
and  guidance  is  never  in  vain.  The  spirit  breathes  a  se- 
rener  air,  and  is  calmed,  strengthened,  and  comforted  by 
the  consequent  reaction.  It  is  harmonized  thereby,  and 
thus  becomes  accordant  to  the  psychic  forces  which,  like 
the  ocean’s  tides,  ebb  and  flow  throughout  the  universe, 
and  bathe  every  soul  that  lies  open  to  their  vivifying  and 
quickening  influence.  Still  more,  there  are  those  who 
dwell  in  the  Light,  whose  thoughts  and  love  go  out  to  all 
such  as  truly  call  upon  God ;  and  these,  the  ministering 
messenger  spirits,  often  pour  their  libations  of  sympathy 
into  the  sad  hearts  of  the  sorrowful  ones  on  earth,  even 
though  they  remain  unknown  and  their  interposition  is  un¬ 
recognized  by  those  to  whom  they  have  given  their  loving 
and  helpful  thoughts. 

MEET  THE  SPIRITS  HALF  WAY. 

By  the  earnest  study  of  the  conditions  requisite  for 
development  of  body,  mind,  and  psychic  sense,  the  intel¬ 
ligent  medium  will  endeavor  to  meet  the  friends  who  in¬ 
spire  him  at  least  half  way  on  the  Jacob’s  ladder  of  com¬ 
munion,  and  to  enter  into  reciprocal  and  conscious  fellow¬ 
ship  with  them  on  the  thought  plane,  so  that  their  inspir¬ 
ations  may  freely  flow  through  his  instrumentality  to 
others,  unobstructed  by  his  personality.  Classes  for  the 
development  of  mediumship  along  these  lines  are  very 
much  needed ;  classes  in  which  the  members  are  expected 
to  take  an  active  part,  not  merely  to  sit  and  sit,  and  let 
the  spirits  do  all  the  work,  but  by  systematic  preparation 
and  spiritual  aspiration  and  .cultivated’  receptivity  prepare 
themselves  to  become  lucid  and  capable  instruments  for  the 
transmission  of  information  and  helpful  influences  from 
the  other  side. 

There  is  but  one  course  of  procedure  for  the  successful 
attainment  of  excellence  in  any  field  of  labor  or  thought, 
and  that  is  by  study  and  training,  by  observation,  by  per- 
severing  application  and  .determined  effort,  bv  readiness  to 
Team  and  responsiveness  to  every  influence  whi  ch^wilTlreTp 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


115 

to  smooth  the  pathway  to  the  desired  success.  The  intelli¬ 
gent  medium  who  follows  this  course  will  not  go  blindly  on 
groping  in  the  obscurity  of  the  psychic  realm  and  becoming 
the  tool  for  unseen  and  unknown  agents,  but  he  will  un¬ 
fold  his  powers,  and  by  co-operating  with  them  will  learn 
to  know  and  trust  his  spirit  preceptors,  until  he  may  pos¬ 
sibly  become  as  a  spirit  among  spirits,  the  conscious  pos¬ 
sessor  of  such  knowledge  regarding  his  own  spiritual  na¬ 
ture  and  powers  that  he  will  be  a  ready  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  enlightened  spirit  people,  with  whom  he  can 
knowingly  work  for  human  good. 


.116 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


CHAPTER  II. 

SPIRIT  CIRCLES:  HOW  TO  FORM  AND  CONDUCT  THEM. 

The  spirit  circle  is  a  gathering  of  persons  who  desire 
to  establish  relations  with  the  world  of  spirits,  and  receive 
communications  therefrom.  As  such  intercourse  is  a  mat¬ 
ter  of  fact — proved  by  oft-repeated  experiment — it  follows 
that  the  observance  of  those  conditions  which  experience 
suggests  will  be  the  surest  way  of  obtaining  the  desired 
results. — J.  J.  Morse. 

The  mediumistic  faculty  in  all  its  forms  can  .be  culti¬ 
vated  by  sitting  in  the  spirit-circle,  which  tends  to  perfect 
and  spiritualize  the  magnetism  of  the  sitters  by  their  mu¬ 
tual 'action  on  each  other  and  by  the  influence  of  the  spir¬ 
its. — Mrs.  Emma  Hardinge  Britten. 

The  purpose  for  which  the  ‘Spirit  Circle’  is  held  is 
that  by  the  blending  of  the  aura,  psychic  force,  or  mag¬ 
netic  emanations  of  the  sitters,  the  attention  of  disembodied 
spirits  may  be  attracted  and  a  battery  be  formed  by  means 
of  which  they  can  communicate  with  the  circle.  The  focal- 
ization  of  this  force  rests  with  the  unseen  operator,  and  if 
they  are  skilled  in  the  modus  operand. i,  they  know  where, 
how,  and  in  what  way  to  use  it  to  the  best  advantage. 

Let  us  suppose  that  a  number  of  persons  determine  to 
experiment  and  seat  themselves  around  a  table,  place  their 
hands  on  its  surface,  and  engage  in  agreeable  conversation. 
After  a  time,  if  the  sitters  provide  the  right  conditions,  it 
will  be  found  that  the  table  will  begin  to  move.  When  the 
movements  occur  readily,  one  of  the  circle,  acting  as  chair¬ 
man,  should  ask  that  answers  to  questions  may  be  given  by 
the  table  signaling  replies,  tilting  three  times  for  affirma- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


117 


tive,  once  for  negative,  twice  for  ‘doubtful.’  four  for 
‘don’t  know, ’  five  times  for  the  ‘alphabet’  to  be  called  ovei. 
This  code  of  signals  is  the  one  most  frequently  used,  but 
any  other  will  do  as  well.  Answers  to  questions  can  gen¬ 
erally  be  obtained,  and  messages,  regarding  matters  of  fact 
entirely  unknown  to  the  sitters,  respecting  deceased  per¬ 
sons  (who  claim  to  be  causing  the  tilts  or  rapping),  are 
spelt  out  by  this  means,  to  be  afterwards  verilied,  so  as  to 
prove  the  identity  of  the  person  communicating. 

How  to  Form  The  Circle. — The  number  in  the  cii’cle  I 
should  not  be  less  than  four  nor  more  than  twelve.  An 
equal  number  of  both  sexes  is  preferable  to  a  preponder¬ 
ance  of  either.  The  date  of  meeting  should  be  fixed  and 
unchanged,  and  every  member  should  attend  regularly. 

It  is  best,  when  practicable,  to  have  a  room  set  apart  for 
the  circle,  and  it  should  be  comfortably  warmed  and  seated 
and  cheerfully  lighted.  The  members  should  always  oc¬ 
cupy  the  same  places  round  the  table,  except  when  re¬ 
quested  by  the  spirits  to  make  a  change.  The  sensitive,  or 
known  medium,  if  one  is  present,  should  form  part  of  this 
circle. 

At  the  commencement  joining  hands  (the  right  over 
the  left)  has  advantages,  but  afterwards  the  hands  can  be 
placed  on  the  table,  palms  downward.  No  one  should  be 
allowed  in  the  room  who  does  not  sit  in  the  circle.  It 
should  be  constantly  borne  in  mind  thaf  pure  air  and  con¬ 
venient  seats,  insuring  ease  and  physical  comfort,  are  help¬ 
ful  to  success.  Even  more  necessary  is  freedom  from  men- 
tal  excitement  and  self-assertion.  Innocent  fun  and  socia¬ 
bility  are  good.  The  spirits  are  our  friends — are  human 
beings:  they  do  not  desire  conventional  solemnity,  nor  an 
artificial  assumption  of  reverence  and  stained-glass  atti¬ 
tudes  of  piety.  But  frivolity,  curiosity,  wonder,  self-seek¬ 
ing,  disputation,  mercenariness,  and  pride  are  still  more 
injurious.  The  great  aim  should  be  to  be  natural,  kindly, 
appreciative,  strong  and  sensible. 

‘How  pure  in  heart  and  sound  in  head, 

With  what  divine  affection  bold 
Should  be  the  man  whose  thought  would  hold 
An  hour’s  communion  with  the  dead.’ 


118 


A.  Guide  io  Mediumship 


"When  to  Sit. — The  best  time  to  sit  is  at  that  hour 
which  is  most  convenient  to  all  the  sitters;  when  they  are 
least  likely  to  be  disturbed,  and  when  they  can  best  give 
themselves  up  to  the  investigation. 

How  Often  and  how  Long. — As  a  rule  twice,  or  at  the 
outside  three  times,  a  week  is  often  enough  to  sit.  Seances 
should  not  last  much  over  an  hour,  certainly  not  longer 
than  two  hours. 

The  Requisite  Conditions.— A  round,  three-legged, 
plain  deal  kitchen  table  is  considered  the  best  adapted  for 
tilting  or  rapping,  but  almost  any  ordinary  table  will  an¬ 
swer  the  purpose.  Pleasant  conversation  will  relieve  the 
tedium  and  prevent  strain  while  waiting  for  manifesta¬ 
tions.  Avoid  controversial  subjects  and  the  extremes  of 
seriousness  and  levity.  Kindly  thoughts  and  an  aspira- 
tional  frame  of  mind  are  conducive  to  good  results?  Stiff¬ 
ness,'  formality,  ami  conventional  exclusiveness  are  likely 
to  prove  fatal  to  success.  Sincerity,  sympathy  and  cheer¬ 
fulness  Will  go  a  long  way  towards  making  good  conditions, 
and  if  mediumistic  powers  exist  and  spirits  are  present 
who  desire  to  manifest,  phenomena  of  some  sort  are  likely 
to  occur.  We  have  known  manifestations  to  take  place  at 
the  first  meeting  of  the  circle,  but  sometimes  the  sitters 
have  to  wait  for  weeks  or  even  months.  Inharmonious  feel¬ 
ings  and  discordant  conditions  will  either  prevent  phenom¬ 
ena  and  react  painfully  upon  any  members  of  the  circle 
who  are"  sensitive,  or  they  may  attract  spirits  of  an  un¬ 
desirable  class.  It  is  therefore  better  to  suspend  proceed¬ 
ings,  or  break  up  the  circle,  than  to  continue  to  hold  the  sit¬ 
tings  if  the  feelings  of  mutual  confidence  and  good  will 
are  absent.  "When  once  the  circle  has  been  formed  or  phe¬ 
nomena  have  been  obtained,  no  new  sitters  should  be  in¬ 
troduced  unless  permission  is  obtained  from  the  spirits. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  sit  in  the  same  room,  and  wear  the 
same  garments  as  far  as  is  convenient.  Not  that  any  spe¬ 
cial  robe  is  necessary,  but  that,  as  the  room  and  dress  be¬ 
come  impregnated  with  the  psychic  auras  of  the  sitters, 
you  may  have  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  conditions 
from  time  to  time.  For  this  reason  a  special  room  is  often 
set  apart  as  a  ‘seance  room,’  and  used  for  no  other  pur- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


119 


pose;  there  is  Jess  likelihood  of  mixed  influences  or  tur¬ 
bulent  manifestations  under  such  conditions. 

Punctuality. — Members  of  the  circle  should  be  punct¬ 
ual  and  keep  their  appointments  with  their  spirit  friends. 
Fancy  keeping  an  angel  waiting  half  an  hour  when  he 
comes  to  serve  and  bless  you!  Angels  are  ‘messenger 
spirits.’ 

Regularity  in  Attendance  is  very  important,  so  that, 
as  far  as  is  possible,  the  same  conditions  may  be  provided 
on  each  occasion.  The  seance  should  be  opened  promptly 
to  time,  and  late  comers — if  admitted  at  all — should  take 
flieTr  seats  as  quietly  as  possible. 

Prayer  and  Song.— A  few  minutes  of  silent  aspiration, 
of  earnest  soul-felt  desire,  should  follow  the  singing  of  a 
hymn.  Tf  anyone  is  prompted,  or  feels  the  impulse  from 
the  other  side,  to  utter  a  prayer,  it  should  be  done  reverent¬ 
ly,  quietly,  and  briefly. 

Passivity  is  Essential,  not  the  passivity  of  an  uncon¬ 
scious  log  of  wood,  but  the  serene  and  calm  passivity  of 
one  who  is  expectant  without  being  anxious ;  who  aspires 
without  being  demonstrative;  who  is  receptive  without 
being  exacting  or  personally  active.  Not  passive  in  the 
sense  of  yielding  implicit  and  unquestioning  obedience,  but 
responsive  to  impulses,  impressions,  thoughts  or  sugges¬ 
tions  that  come  to  him  in  a  reasonable  and  intelligible 


manner. 

Patience  is  Necessary. — Time  is  required  for  growth; 
for  the  attuning  of  the  two  spheres  and  the  blending  of 
the  thought-life  of  the  spirit  with  that  of  the  medium.  Do 
not  be  impatient  nor  over  zealous.  Steady  unfolding  and 
ripening  are  best. 

Perseverance  is  Indispensable. — There  will  of  neces- 
sitybe  difficulties  to  be  overcome.  Experiments  will  fail. 
Misconceptions  will  arise.  Imperfect,  manifestations  will 
occur.  Conditions  will  vary~  A  variety  of  contingencies 
which  cannot  be  foreseen  will  have  to  be  dealt  with  as  they 
crop  up.  Do  not  be  deterred  nor  downcast,  but  maintain 
a  cheerful  and  expectant  attitude.  Do  not  demand.  Spir¬ 
its  do  not  like  to  be  commanded,  neither  should  mediums 
or  sitters  submit  to  dictation.  Persist,  go  cautiously,  but 


v 


r 


C 


7 


S 


7 


120 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


do  not  falter.  Avoid  extremes ;  be  neither  despondent  nor 
over-sanguine,  but  if  confident  of  ultimate  success  and  pa¬ 
tiently  determined  to  desei've  it,  the  faith  that  is  exercised 
will  most  certainly  be  rewarded.  Not,  perhaps,  in  the  way 
the  sitters  or  sensitive  would  most  like  or  expect,  but  in 
some  way  good  will  be  derived  from  the  sincere  search  for 
truth  and  the  desire  for  knowledge. 

One  Circle  One  Medium. — Judging  from  our  obser¬ 
vation  and  experience  it  is  best  that  there  should  be  a  sep¬ 
arate  circle  for  each  medium.  It  is  very  seldom  indeed 
that  the  conditions  of  one  circle  meet  the  requirements  of 
more  than  one  sensitive  for  any  great  length  of  time ;  there¬ 
fore  it  is  best  that  a  few  friends  should  gather  round  a 
young  medium  and  devote  themselves  to  sitting  with  him 
for  his  development. 

How  long  will  Development  take? — It  is  impossible 
to  foretell  how  long  it  will  take  to  unfold  the  powers  of  a 
medium  so  that  he  may  be  regarded  as  fairly  well  devel¬ 
oped.  Experience  is  needed  both  by  spirit  and  medium 
to  secure  such  results.  But  we  may  safely  say  that  no  me¬ 
dium  is  fully  developed  so  long  as  his  brain,  body,  and 
mind  are  capable  of  improvement.  Development  is  there¬ 
fore  a  life-long  process  to  those  who  are  progressive  and 
teachable,  but  the  first  essential  is  a  true  purpose  and  sin¬ 
cere  desire  for  spiritual  good.  Sympathy  and  harmony  in 
the  mental  and  psychical  conditions  of  the  sitters  are  also 
needed. 

Diet  and  Drink. — Considerable  importance  is  attached 
to  diet  by  some  people,  and  fasting  is  often  recommended ; 
but  we  find  that  if  people  live  a  rational,  temperate,  and 
cleanly  life  therels  no  need  for  fasting  or  special  dieting, 
save  under  exceptional  circumstances  and  for  definite  pur¬ 
poses — such  as  the  production  of  strong  physical,  or  ma¬ 
terialization,  or  test  phenomena,  under  rigid  scientific  con¬ 
ditions. 

Try  the  Spirits. — All  communications  that  purport 
to  come  from  the  other  side  should  be  received  with  reserve, 
and  be  tested  by  the  ordinary  rules  and  standards  that  we 
employ  in  our  dealings  with  each  other.  We  have  to  exer¬ 
cise  our  judgment  and  reason  in  daily  life,  and  even  then 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


121 


are  not  infrequently  misled;  and  as  there  are  so  many  diffi¬ 
culties  attending  the  intercourse  with  excarnate  human  be¬ 
ings,  caution  should  be  exercised  in  regard  to  accepting 
their  statements  or  promises.  There  are  many  kindly, 
trustworthy,  and  wise  spirits  who  communicate,  but  they 
cannot  be  known  to  be  good  and  time  until  they  have  been 
tried  and  proved;  therefore  it  is  necessary  to  carefully  and 
shrewdly  ‘try  the  spirits,’  and  not  accept  them  as  oracles 
or  infallible  authorities. 

Try  the  Sitters.— It  is  quite  as  necessary  to  try  the 
sitters  as  it  is  to  ‘try  the  spirits,’  but  the  trying  in  both 
cases  should  be  accomplished  with  as  much  tact  and  dis¬ 
cretion  as  possible,  so  as  not  to  give  pain  or  cause  needless 
friction.  There  are  some  people  who  are  so  sensitive  that 
they  should  not  sit  in  circles,  because  they  are  liable  to  be- 
come  charged  with  the  psychic  emanations  from,  and  dom¬ 
inated  by  the  expectancy  of,  the  sitters,  and  are  not  in¬ 
fluenced  by  spirits  to  any  appreciable  degree.  Or  prob¬ 
ably,  there  are  ‘cross  magnetisms’;  members  of  the  circle 
may  be  antagonistic  to  each  other.  '"Some  sitters  may  be 
sarcastic,  merely  curious,  or  selfish,  or  mercenary,  or  not 
over  clean,  sober,  or  scrupulous,  and  all  such  surroundings 
act  and  re-act  upon  the  highly  sensitive  organization  of  the 
undeveloped  medium,  and,  above  all,  provide  conditions 
favorable  for  the  manifestations  of  mischievous  or  mali¬ 
cious  spirits,  unless  the  medium  is  sufficiently  developed. 
or~is  protected  by  wise  spirits  powerful  enough  to  resist  or 
control  such  influences.  Like  attracts  like,  as  a  general 
rule;  but  there  are  exceptions  to  this,  as  to  most  rules,  as, 
for  instance,  where  unfortunate  or  unhappy  spirits  are  per¬ 
mitted  to  manifest,  and  are  even  brought  to  the  seance  by 
other  and  more  experienced  spirit  people  so  that  they  may 
be  helped. 

The  Influence  of  the  Sitters  in  moulding  the  con¬ 
ditions  is  too  little  realized.  If  they  introduce  an  atmos¬ 
phere  of  suspicion,  doubt,  distrust  or  detraction,  they  break 
the  continuity  of  the  flow  of  the  psychic  energy  that  has 
to  be  f  ,  i  iployed.  By  thus  severing  the  current,  and  dissi¬ 
pating  the  power,  they  mar  the  conditions  essential  to  suc¬ 
cess;  and,  as  all  such  disturbances  of  necessity  centre  upon 


122 


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and  injuriously  affect  the  sensitive  medium,  they  render 
soul-satisfying  and  uplifting  communion  impossible.  To 
all  sitters  we  would  say,  ‘You  get,  to  a  very  great  extent, 
what  yon  make  conditions  for, ’  therefore  open  the  doors  of 
the  heavens  by  love  and  purity. 

Changes  sometimes  Beneficial. — A  ‘circle’  may  meet 
night  after  night  without  results,  but  if  an  additional  sit¬ 
ter  is  added  who  possesses  the  right  temperament,  phenom¬ 
ena  may  occur  almost  immediately.  If  the  general  psy¬ 
chic  conditions  of  a  circle  of  sitters  are  harmonious,  al¬ 
though  there  may  not  be  any  specially  mediumistic  person 
present,  interesting  phenomena  and  successful  communion 
may  be  enjoyed  up  to  a  certain  stage.  For  instance,  table 
tilting,  or  rappings,  or  both  may  occur,  but  the  spirits  may 
not  be  able  to  produce  other  or  more  striking  evidences  of 
their  ability  to  manipulate  physical  objects,  not  because 
they  are  unwilling,  but  because  the  energy  that  they  re¬ 
quire  isTiioT possessed ' By  "any  one"  member,  or  by  the  circle 
as"a" whole.  If  a  person  of  the  right  type  of  physical  sensi¬ 
tiveness  can  be  discovered  and  induced  to  join  the  circle, 
the  more  definite  and  striking  phenomena  may  soon  be 
forthcoming.  The  introduction  of  a  new  sitter  may  pos¬ 
sibly  have  the  effect  of  disturbing  conditions  and  putting 
an  end~to  the  manifestations,  or  of  affording  conditions 
that  will  lead  to  new  developments  along  other  lines,  such 
as  entrancemefit,  clairvoyance^  and  speaking  mediumship. 

When  a  good  physical  medium  has  been  discovered,  it 
is  well  for  him  if  a  few  friends  will  devote  themselves  sys¬ 
tematically  to  assist  the  spirits  in  his  development. 

‘ Test’  Questions  pan  “Wait. — Should  table  movements 
occur,  or  raps  be  heard,  let  them  go  on  for  a  little.  Do 
not  ask  test  questions.  Request  repetitions,  ask  for  them 
to  be  clearer  or  louder,  so  that  they  shall  be  sllarp  and  de¬ 
cisive.  Ask  for  a  certain  number  of  movements  or  raps. 
Then  you  can  proceed  to  ask  questions  as  to  whether  the 
circle  is  sitting  in  the  best  arrangement  for  success.  If 
changes  are  desired  these  should  be  made  as  suggested.  It 
may  happen  that  one  or  more  of  the  sitters  may  be  re¬ 
quested  to  change  places  or  to  withdraw  from  the  table 
altogether.  In  the  latter  ease  the  sitter  should  not  take 


d  Guide  lo  Mediumship 


123 


umbrage,  or  regard  such  rejection  as  a  reflection  upon 
them  personally.  It  merely  indicates  that  their  psychical 
conditions  do  not  blend  with  those  of  the  rest  of  the  circle. 
W.  H.  Bach  says:  ‘If  you  are  requested,  either  by  the 
controlling  intelligence  or  by  the  manager  of  the  circle,  to 
take  another  place,  or  even  if  your  room  is  desired  for 
some  unknown  cause,  do  not  get  angry  and  create  a  dis¬ 
turbance.  but  get  with  those  with  whom  you  are  in  spir¬ 
itual  harmony  and  try  it  again.  All  who  have  succeeded 
have  passed  through  great  trials  and  failures,  and  when 
success  is  attained,  think  of  what  you  have  gained !  A 
knowledge  of  immortality,  possibly,  or  you  have  assisted 
in  producing  an  instrument  through  whom  the  proofs  of 
immortality  may  be  given.’  * 

Preliminary  Arrangements. — AYlien  communication 
lias  been  established  by  raps  or  table  tilts,  and  some  evi¬ 
dence  has  been  afforded  that  the  spirit  possesses  both  the 
knowledge  and  the  power  to  give  effect  to  his  wishes,  defi¬ 
nite  instructions  should  be  asked  for  as  to  who  is  the  me¬ 
dium  and  the  frequency  of  the  ‘sittings’  necessary  for 
development .  and  for  the  appointment  of  one  among  the 
sitters  to  act  as  ‘conductor.’  Confusion  often  results  from 
several  of  the  sitters  asking  conflicting  questions  at  almost 
the  same  time,  or.  what  is  worse,  making  guesses  or  positive 
statements  as  to  the  identity  or  the  wishes  of  the  communi¬ 
cating  intelligence. 

The  First  Requisite  is  to  Secure  Free  Oommunica- 
TiQN.— Instead  of  raps  or  table  movements,  the  hands  or 
heads  of  those  sitters  who  can  be  influenced  may  be  made 
to  move  a  certain  number  of  times  in  response  to  questions. 
Remember,  the  lirst  requisite  is  to  establish  the  channel  of 
communication  ;  and  all  personal  questions  as  to  who  and 
what  the  spirit  is  should  be  reserved  until  the  initial  diffi¬ 
culties  are  overcome.  It  is  most  probable  that  at  first  the 
spirit  operators  will  not  be  fully  aware  what  effect  is  being 
produced  by  them,  and  the  mind  of  the  medium  may  be  in 
a  state  of  protest  against  being  acted  upon,  and  it  is  there¬ 
fore  extremely  unwise  to  attempt  to  obtain  responses  to  test 


*  ‘Mediumship  and  its  Development.’  Page  24. 


124 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


questions  or  to  secure  evidences  of  the  identity  of  the  spirit 
under  these  imperfect  conditions.  Many  mediums  and  in¬ 
quirers  have  been  deterred  from  further  development  or 
investigation  because  such  questions  have  been  prematurely 
put  and  the  answers  pressed  for,  with  the  result  that  con¬ 
fusing  and  contradictory  responses  were  given,  and  the 
conclusion  was  hastily  drawn  that  is  was  all  fraud,  delu¬ 
sion,  or  of  the  devil. 

Writing  in  ‘Light,’  a  correspondent  who  related  some 
striking  experiences  observed:  ‘1  now,  in  my  anxiety,  made 
a  mistake  which  anxious  inquirers  sometimes  make.  I 
wanted  more— I  pressed  for  another  test,  forgetting  the 
difficulties  of  mediumship,  and  the  supreme  effort  which 
must  have  been  made  to  give  me  what  I  had  obtained. 
And  this  resulted  in  failure  after  remarkable  tests  had 
been  given.’ 

Commenting  upon  this,  another  writer  said :  ‘  This  is 

exactly  how  mediums  are  used;  they  give  test  after  test, 
not  to  satisfy,  but  only  to  produce  the  desire  for  more. 
Then  when  the  power  is  weakened  comes  the  inability — or 
fraud,  as  imperfection  in  mediumship  is  too  often  called. 
This  will  be  the  case  until  they  can  have  the  only  condition 
which  is  suitable  for  spiritual  communion— passive  trust 
and  confidence.  Real  tests  cannot  come  when  sought  with 
materialistic  conditions.  The  tests  come  unsought,  un¬ 
looked  for.’ 

A  Necessary  Warning. — We  cannot  too  often  reiterate 
the  necessity  of  observing  the  manifestations  first  and 
drawing  conclusions  afterwards.  A.  practice  to  be  strongly 
deplored,  and  one  that  arises  from  the  laudable  desire  to 
aid  the  spirit  before  the  medium  is  under  full  control,  is 
the  common  one  of  putting  words  into  the  mouth  of  the 
medium,  or  ‘reading’  into  the  message  what  the  sitter 
thinks  was  intended.  Tt  is  extremely  difficult  for  the  spirit 
to  alter  The  impression  thus  made  should  he  be  desirous 
of  so  doing,  as  it  is  naturally  easier  to  make  the  first  im¬ 
pression  upon  the  mind  of  the  sensitive  than  it  is  to  re¬ 
move  an  erroneous  one  and  put  another  in  its  place.  Do 
not  pester  the  medium  who  is  being  influenced  with  ques- 


/I  Guide  to  Mediumship  125 

tions  and  suggestions;  but  quietly  and  sympathetically 
await  results. 

Even  though  the  process  be  slow  and  tedious,  and  the 
waiting  long  until  the  full  message  can  be  given  (with  the 
then  means  at  command),  yet,  if  it  is  at  last  clearly  given 
from  the  spirit  side,  a  decided  step  forward  will  have  been 
taken,  and  in  all  probability  subsequent  messages  will  come 
much  more  easily,  the  channel  of  communication  being  so 
far  opened.  So  many  difficulties  are  encountered  both  on 
this  side  and  the  other  (and  even  when  the  channel  is 
cleared  it  needs  to  be  kept  open),  that  unless  the  spirit  pos¬ 
sesses  positive  knowledge  and  power,  oneTneetl  not  be  sur- 
prised~lf  there  are  frequent  ‘breakdowns1  and  many  dis- 
appomtments  a nd  pe r p I  exit  i  es  to  be  encountered  and  over¬ 
come  in  making  the  preliminary  experiments.  But  having 
reached  the  stage  of  clear  communication,  and  having  re¬ 
ceived  definite  instructions  as  to  conditions  to  be  observed, 
the  sitters  and  the  medium  alike  should  endeavor  to  faith¬ 
fully''  co-operate  with  the  spirit  workers. 

Spirits  the  Operators. — As  the  spirits  are  to  be  the 
operators,  if  the  sitters  and  the  medium  can  obtain  from 
them  intimations  of  what  they  wish  to  try  to  do,  and  in¬ 
structions  as  to  what  can  be  done  by  the  circle  to  assist 
them  to  achieve  the  desired  end,  it  is  manifest  that  it  will 
be  wise  to  consult  their  wishes,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  with¬ 
in  reasonable  limits,  conform  to  their  suggestions.  It 
should,  however,  be  borne  in  mind  that  they  should  be  con¬ 
sulted,  not  ‘with  bated  breath  and  whispering  humbleness,’ 
but  in  a  rational  and  friendly  way,  for  the  purpose  of  se¬ 
curing  their  intelligent  co  operation  and  obtaining  their 
advice. 

Let  Reason  Rule  Reasonably. — It  may  happen  that 
the  ‘conditions’  asked  for  by  the  communicating  intelli¬ 
gences  may  seem  to  be  ludicrous  or  impracticable;  should 
"this  be  so,  representations  to  that  effect  should  be  made  to 
the  spirit,  and  if  such  instructions  are  persisted  in,  except 
where,  through  long  association,  confidence  is  felt  in  tbe 
spirit,  or  very  clear  evidence  of  knowledge  has  been  mani¬ 
fested,  the  medium  and  sitters,  exercising  their  own  reason¬ 
ing  powers"  should  quietly  and  firmly  decline  to  do  what 


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A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


is  asked  of  them,  and  some  other  course  should  be  sug¬ 
gested.  AVe  do  not  advise  either  medium  or  sitters  to 
blindly  accept  or  follow  what  is  given  to  or  through  them ; 
reason  should  ever  reign ;  but  even  reason  will  show  that 
in  experimental  work  it  is  sometimes  advisable  to  tenta¬ 
tively  adopt  and  follow  some  course  that  may  not,  at  first 
sight,  appear  quite  reasonable. 

Personal  Messages. — AVe  will  suppose  that  a  satis¬ 
factory  arrangement  of  the  sitters  has  been  secured,  and 
that  table  movements  or  raps  of  a  clear  and  decisive  char¬ 
acter  have  been  obtained.  Questions  may  now  be  put  to 
ascertain  whether  the  spirit  is  related  to  any  person  pres¬ 
ent,  and  if  so,  to  whom,  and  the  nature  of  the  relationship ; 
or  with  whom  the  spirit  wishes  to  be  in  communication. 
The  person  indicated  should  then  question  his  friend  for 
himself;  and  should  secrecy  be  desired,  and  the  spirit  ex¬ 
press  readiness  to  answer  mental  questions,  the  questions 
can  be  put  mentally,  and  they  will  be  answered  as  if  they 
had  been  spoken  aloud.  Each  question  should  be  put  clear¬ 
ly,  so  that  a  simple  answer  can  be  given.  But  if  the  spirit 
agrees  to  move  the  table  as  the  alphabet  is  called  over, 
more  detailed  information  can  be  obtained,  and  it  may  be 
left  to  spell  out  its  name,  its  relationship  to  one  or  more 
of  the  sitters,  and  its  message.  The  spirit  should  be  ad¬ 
dressed  courteously;  a  kindly  visitant  from  the  other  world 
is  no  ordinary  guest,  especially  if  he  is  a  loving  friend  who 
desires  to  give  you  comfort. 

Clear  Thinking  Needed. — AVhile  answers  to  mental 
questions  are  frequently  given  with  startling  accuracy  and 
success,  spirit  people  usually  require  that  questions  or 
wishes  should  be  orally  expressed;  and  the  objection  is 
urged  by  some  people  that  if  the  spirits  can  see  our 
thoughts  they  ought  to  know  what  we  require.  The  fact 
is,  however,  that  many  people  do  not  have  clear  thoughts 
or  hold  them  definitely  in  mind  long  enough  to  be  read, 
and  many  sitters  actually  require  to  express  themselves  in 
words  before  others,  whether  in  the  body  or  out  of  it,  can 
understand  what  they  mean  or  wish  to  know. 

Alluding  to  the  expression  which  is  frequently  heard, 
‘Jf  1  could  only  speak  as  well  as  T  can  think.  I  should  have 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


127 


little  difficulty  in  saying  wliat  I  want,’  a  thoughtful  writer 
has  pointed  out  that  this  is  largely  a  mistake,  for  if  the 
thought  was  definite  and  clear,  in  words,  there  would  be 
no  difficulty  in  giving  it  utterance,  and  he  claims  that 
many  people  speak  incoherently  because  they  think  incon¬ 
sequentially. 

Causes  of  Confusion. — It  is  possible  that  a  sensitive 
who  is  easily  impressed  and  who  readily  perceives  what  the 
spirit  people  wish  to  accomplish,  may  forestall  them  by 
prematurely  expressing  part  of  their  thought  himself,  or 
even  performing  a  similar  action  to  that  which  they  intend 
to  produce,  carried  away,  as  it  were,  by  his  anxious  desire 
for  success;  and  yet  the  sensitive,  being  hypnotized  by 
their  dominant  wish  or  purpose,  will  be  unconscious  that 
he  has  unwittingly  helped  on  the  manifestations  instead 
of  letting  the  spirits  do  their  own  work.  For  instance,  a. 
table  may  be  tilted  somewhat  unevenly  and  with  difficulty 
in  response  to  questions ;  one  of  the  sitters,  who  is  sensitive 
to  the  wishes  of  others,  ‘senses’  the  desire  of  the  spirits 
who  are  seeking  to  communicate,  and  in  response  to  that 
psychic  ‘suggestion’— unintentionally  transferred  by  them 
— unconsciously  to  himself  exerts  pressure  to  help  the  table 
to  move  in  unison  with  what  he  thinks  or  feels  that  the 
spirit  people  want  to  say ;  yet  such  a  sensitive  would  be 
naturally  indignant  should  he  be  charged  with  causing  the 
tilts.  ~ 

Persons  who  are  easily  affected  sometimes  act  in  this 
way  in  response  to  the  dominant  idea  of  the  sitters,  and 
considerable  confusion  ensues.  Unless  care  is  exercised  to 
watch  oneself  such  a  tendency  may  be  unconsciously  yield¬ 
ed  to ;  hence  there  has  been  some  basis  for  the  theory  of  un¬ 
conscious  muscular  action  due  to  expectancy — or  a  dom¬ 
inant  Idea.  Tt  is  wise,  therefore,  when  the  communication 
purports  to  be  for  any  particular  member  of  the  circle,  for 
that  sitter  to  let  his  hands  slide  over  the  surface  of  the 
table  as  it  moves,  and  to  note  that  he  does  not  in  any  way 
accelerate  or  retard  the  movements. 

.The  Real  Point  to  be  Observed. — It  is,  however,  not 
so  much  the  fact  that  the  table  moves,  with  or  without 
contact,  that  is  of  paramount  importance,  but  that  by  its 


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A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


means  intercourse  can  be  obtained  and  maintained  with 
so-called  dead  people ;  and  evidences  of  spirit  identity,  as 
well  as  loving  and  cheering  messages,  can  be  obtained  in 
that  way  from  loved  ones  who  were  supposed  to  be  gone 
for  ever.  This  is  the  important  point  to  be  established 
beyond  all  peradventure. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


122 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOW  ‘  conditions’  affect  results. 

There  are  three  factors  concerned  in  mediumship:  the  ; 
spirit  controlling,  the  mental  atmosphere  of  the  medium  2. 
controlled,  and  the  mental  atmosphere  of  the  people  con-  3 
stituting  the  company  surrounding  the  medium. — J.  J. 
Morse. 

The  requirements  for  honesty  on  the  part  of  mediums 
are  equally  binding  upon  investigators;  they  must  have 
honesty  of  purpose  if  they  expect  to  attract  honest  spirits. 
—A.  'Morton. 


Failure  may  be  Caused  by  the  Sitters. — Although  the 
spirits  may  be  intensely  anxious  to  demonstrate  their 
power,  they  are  sometimes  repelled  from  those  whom  they 
seek  to  approach  by  the  ‘bristling’  and  discordant  condi¬ 
tions  of  mind  that  prevail  among  the  sitters,  who  disperse 
with’ a  TeeTThg  of  dissatisfaction  and  disappointment.  If 
the  sitters  only  knew  it,  the  ‘failure’  was  directly  trace¬ 
able  to  the  destructive  thought-atmosphere  with  which  they 
surrounded  themselves  and  the  medium.  Too  frequently 
they  do  not  prepare  themselves  for  the  ‘hour’s  communion 
with  the  dead,’  and  their  mental  attitude  is  anything  but 
conducive  to  success.  They  do  not  put  away  the  thronging 
thoughts,  anxieties,  arid  worries  of  their  busy  lives,  but 
carry  them  right  into  the  seance  chamber,  yet  expect  good 
spiritual  results.  Both  sitter  and  medium  may  very  easily 
destroy  the  indispensable  conditions  of  spirit-manifesta- 
tion,  and  the  medium’s  honesty,  not  his  want  of  growth, 
or  of  knowledge,  is  called  in  question  by  the  investigator 


130 


A  Guide  to  Medmmship 


who  knows,  and  perhaps  cares,  nothing  for  the  occult  laws 
he  has  violated,  not  obeyed. 

Mediums  Often  Mar  the  Manifestation^. — Great  dif¬ 
ficulties  are  frequently  encountered  by  sitters  and  spirits 
because  of  the  mental  barriers  which  the  mediums  erect,  hv 
their  objections,  hesitations,  and  oppositions.  As  one  is 
removed  or  overthrown,  another  speedily  fills  the  place. 
For  instance,  a  spirit  may  seek  to  communicate  by  impress¬ 
ing  certain  words  on  the  brain  of  the  medium  and  by  striv¬ 
ing  to  manipulate  his  vocal  organs,  so  that  clear  expres¬ 
sion  shall  be  given  to  them.  Two  or  three  words  may  be 
uttered,  but  the  mind  of  the  medium,  which  had  been  pas¬ 
sive,  becomes  active  and  takes'  fright,  especially  if  what  is 
said  appears  to  be  of  a  ‘test’  or  evidential  nature.  He 
wonders  if  it  is  true.  He  fears  that  a  mistake  may  be 
made,  and’TiesitafesT and  thus,  by  interfering  with  the  free 
course  of  the  utterances,  causes  the  very  results  which  he 
Hreads.  If  is  one  thing  to  cause  thoughts  to  flow  through 
a  clear  channel  or  over  a  calm  surface,  and  quite  another 
to  overcome  resistance  and  produce  the  same  effect. 

Spirits  have  Many  Difficulties  to  Overcome. — On 
one  occasion,  a  medium  felt  the  influence  of  an  arisen 
friend  very  strongly.  It  wras  accompanied  by  an  intense 
desire  to  speak,  and  yet  the  medium  was  unable  to  give 
utterance  to  that  which  the  spirit  wished  to  have  said.  In 
answer  to  an  inquiry  that  was  subsequently  made  as  to  why 
the  spirit  had  been  unable  to  communicate  with  his  dear 
ones,  one  of  the  familiar  controls  of  the  medium  explained 
that  he  thought  lie  had  spoken.  His  feeling  of  nearness  to 
them  Avas  so  vivid,  and  his  wish  to  express  himself  through 
the  lips  of  the  medium  had  been  so  intense,  that  it  was  only 
after  he  had  ceased  his  efforts  to  control  that  he  realized 
he  had  only  thought  and  intended,  but  had  not  succeeded 
in  compelling  the  sensitive  to  utter  his  message.  This  will 
perhaps  explain  why  mediums  sometimes  rise  to  their  feet 
and  act  as  if  they  were  about  to  speak,  but  get  no  further 
— they  do  not  receive  the  impression,  or  the  right  mental 
impulse;  they  feel  as  if  they  could  speak  and  yet  they  have 
nothing  to  say.  At  such  times  a  few  words  of  sympathy 
and  inquiry  from  the  conductor  of  the  circle  may  assist 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


131 


the  control  to  realize  the  situation  and  succeed  in  his  en¬ 
deavors  to  communicate.  Even  on  this  side,  when  we  send 
telegraphic  messages  or  use  the  telephone,  mistakes  and 
misunderstandings  are  by  no  means  uncommon  occur¬ 
rences,  and  our  letters  sometimes  create  an  impression  in 
the  mind  of  the  reader  which  we  did  not  intend  to  convey. 
Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  messages  from  the  other  side 
are  imperfectly  impressed  upon,  and  incorrectly  rendered 
by,  the  medium?  Most  persons  who  have  attempted  to 
transfer  thoughts,  fo'  mesmerized  sensitives  have  realized 
that  general  ideas  can  be  transmitted  much  more  easily 
than  names,  dates,  or  specific  words  can  be  impressed  upon 
or  expressed  by  the  subject.  The  wonder  is,  not  that  so 
few  names,  ages,  and  special  details  are  given  by  spirits 
to  and  through  mediums,  but  that,  considering  all  the  at¬ 
tendant  circumstances,  so  many  ‘test’  messages  are  contin¬ 
ually  being  given,  both  privately  and  in  public. 

The  ‘Saving  Sense  op  Humor. ’ — We  have  heard  peo¬ 
ple  denounce  the  triviality,  the  fun  and  frivolity  of  the 
seance-room,  and  to  a  certain  extent  we  agree  with  them ; 
but  there  is  danger,  too,  in  the  other  extreme  of  deadly 
dulness,  of  decorous  propriety,  and  of  philosophic  ‘supe¬ 
riority.’  Spirits  are  ‘human  still,’  and  a  good  breezy  laugh, 
a  hearty,  joyous,  kindly,  sympathetic  disposition,  goes  a 
long  way  to  open  the  avenues  bv  which  they  can  approach 
us.  Mr.  Henry  Forbes  well  and  truly  says:  ‘Experience 
has  taught  that  the  spiritual  circle  should  be  presided  over 
by  a  “pure  heart”  and  a  “strong  head” — to  which  quali¬ 
ties  might  be  added  a  well-ordered  development  of  the 
sense  of  humor,  for  the  absence  of  humor  often  tends  to 
make  philosophy  grotesquely  ill-proportioned.’ 

Be  Natural,  Calm,  and  Cheerful.— Mr.  T.  Everitt 
suggests  that  the  sitters  should  be  natural  and  easy ;  that 
pleasant  sociability,  agreeable,  even  humorous  conversation 
will  be  helpful;  that  the  sitters  should  breathe  in  unison, 
and  take  good  deep  breaths  for  the  purpose  of  setting  up 
rhythmic  vibrations  and  liberating  the  forces  which  are 
requisite  for  the  production  of  physical  phenomena.  Sing¬ 
ing  is  often  useful  for  this  purpose,  but  it  should  be  melo¬ 
dious.  TTFisin  noise  T  want,’  said  a  spirit  once,  ‘it’s  liar- 


132 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


mony.  If  you  cannot  sing  you  can  count  out  loud,  and 
count  altogether;  that  may  give  us  the  right  vibrations.’ 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  feelings  of  demand,  of 
selfish,  personal  claim  to  the  exclusion  of  others,  will  exert 
a  detrimental  influence  upon  the  conditions  of  the  circle 
and  the  medium.  Such  a  mental  sphere  will  necessarily 
affect  the  sensitive  and  rub  him  the  wrong  way. 

Impatience  and  Anxiety  are  disintegrating  mental 
conditions.  People  who  are  all  the  time  looking  at  their 
watches  and  thinking,  ‘Oh!  I  wish  they  would  hurry  up.’ 
‘Oh!  do  be  quick,  don’t  keep  us  here  all  night,  we  shall 
surely  miss  our  train,’  etc.,  are  ‘disturbers  of  the  peace,’ 
and  break  the  conditions  which  require  harmony  and  re¬ 
pose.  ‘We  have  found  out  that  we  cannot  hurry  them,’ 
said  a  lady  who  had  enjoyed  much  experience  in  circles; 
and  consequently,  when  you  are  sitting  for  difficult  phenom¬ 
ena,  you  need  to  have  plenty  of  time  and  be  prepared 
to  sit  good  liumoredly  for  hours,  if  need  be,  to  see  it 
through,  and  then  results  are  likely  to  speedily  ensue; 
whereas  the  more  you  try  to  hurry,  the  more  anxious  you 
become,  the  less  likelihood  is  there  that  you  will  secure  re¬ 
sults  at  all.  You  can  surely  realize  that  hurry,  impatience, 
anxiety,  intense  expectancy,  fear  and  suspicion,  must  of 
necessity  disturb  the  conditions  and  prove  inimical  to  the 
efforts  of  the  spirit  operators  to  present  clear  and  convinc¬ 
ing  phenomenal  demonstrations  of  their  power  and  iden¬ 
tity. 

Harmony  Absolutely  Essential  to  Success. — When 
sitting  in  circle  for  phenomenal  manifestations,  harmony 
should  be  the  primary  consideration.  To  secure  this  re¬ 
sult,  the  sitters  must  be  willing  to  co-operate  in  a  friendly 
spirit,  and  abandon,  for  the  time  being  at  least,  all  exclu¬ 
siveness,  and  break  down  the  attitude  of  reserve  which  is  so 
frequently  assumed  between  strangers.  On  one  occasion 
in  particular  we  had  a  remarkable  illustration  of  the  detri¬ 
mental  influence  of  one  or  two  sitters.  It  occurred  in  a 
seance  at  which  a  number  of  mediums  were  present,  and, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  successful  results  would 
have  been  practically  certain ;  but  this  was  not  an  ordinary 
seance — at  least,  not  in  the  opinion  of  one  lady  who  ap- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


133 


parently  imagined  that  she  had  been  invited  to  discover 
fraud,  and  that  the  rest  of  us  were  suspicious  characters. 
Up  to  the  moment  of  her  appearance  in  the  circle  we  were 
a  happy  family  of  sociable  folk,  and  enjoyed  a  very  pleasant 
season  of  conversational  interchange.  When,  however,  the 
said  lady,  accompanied  by  a  friend,  joined  the  company, 
there  was  a  silence  that  could  be  felt.  The  social  tempera¬ 
ture  fell  rapidly — people  visibly  stiffened  and  became  con¬ 
strained.  The  two  ladies  appeared  to  feel  afraid  to  speak 
lest  they  should  say  anything  that  might  be  used  by  the 
mediums,  and  spoke  in  monosyllables.  Sitting  bolt  up¬ 
right,  grim  and  silent,  they  drew  up  to  the  table,  and  when 
the  phenomena  began  displayed  no  signs  of  interest.  Their 
‘detective’  attitude  was  so  objectionable  that  even  those 
who  had  endeavored  to  thaw  these  self-constituted  Sherlock 
Holmeses,  gave  up  the  attempt,  and,  in  consequence,  what 
had  promised  to  be  a.  really  enjoyable  evening,  proved  one 
of  the  most  uncomfortable  it  has  been  our  lot  to  experience. 

How  Not  to  Do  It. — On  another  occasion,  when  some 
.experiments  were  being  made  by  a  medium,  under  control, 
in  the  direction  of  psychometry  and  clairvoyance,  a  lady 
expressed  a  desire  to  be  the  ‘subject’  for  delineation.  After 
one  or  two  efforts  the  medium  exclaimed,  ‘I  am  very  sorry, 
but  for  some  reason  I  am  quite  unable  to  get  anything  from 
you.  or  for  you.’  Shortly  afterwards  the  lady  in  question 
remarked  to  one  of  the  sitters,  ‘I  knew  he  would  not  be 
able  to  give  me  anything.  That  is  the  third  medium  I  have 
“knocked  out.”  ’  The  failure  to  obtain  results  under 
such  impossible  conditions  is  a  proof  of  the  genuine  psychic 
nature  of  the  powers  of  the  mediums.  If  they  were  pre¬ 
tenders  they  would  succeed  in  doing  something  under  any 
circumstances  and  in  spite  of  such  adverse  psychic  con¬ 
ditions. 

A  Variety  of  Considerations. — It  would  be  unwise 
for  us  to  attempt  to  give  cut  and  dried  instructions  regard¬ 
ing  the  development  of  mediumship,  because,  beyond  try¬ 
ing  to  offer  harmonious  conditions,  the  would-be  medium 
'•an  at  first  do  so  little.  He  is  not  usually  an  active  agent, 
but  is  an  intermediary  between  earth  and  the  spirit  world. 
The  spirits  who  seek  to  use  him  as  their  instrument  may 


134 


;1  Guide  to  Mediumship 


or  may  not  be  tit  for  that  work.  It  is  not  every  spirit  who 
caii  develop  a  medium.  Some  of  them  lack  both  knowledge 
and  aptitude.  Others  may  have  the  knowledge  and  yet 
fail  from  want  of  the  power  to  control.  They  may  be  able 
to  affect  one  sitter  and  not  another;  to  use  a  sensitive  for 
one  phase  of  mediumship,  and  yet  be  unable  to  succeed  in 
any  other  direction.  A  spirit  may  be  in  such  conditions 
that  he  can  produce  good  physical  phenomena;  he  may, 
however,  try  to  do  so  through  a  ‘subject’  who  is  fitted  for 
trance  or  clairvoyant  mediumship  and  does  not  possess  the 
quality  or  psychic  force  for  sensuous  manifestations. 
medium  who  is  naturally  qualified  for  physical  demon¬ 
strations  may  persist  in  desiring  trance  or  inspirational 
mediumship,  and  lie  determined  to  become  a  speaker  or 
nothing.  Frequently  at  the  outset  both  spirits  and  sitters 
are  ignorant  of  their  powers,  of  the  conditions  necessary  for 
success,  and  the  association  that  exists  between  them  being 
affectional  rather  than  intellectual  or  spiritual,  they  have 
to  grope  their  way  towards  each  other.  It  follows,  there¬ 
fore,  that  experiments  have  to  be  made  on  both  sides.  Sit¬ 
ters  and  young  mediums  often  spoil  the  seances  by  over- 
anxietv.  There  would  not  be  half  so  much  heard  about 
‘evil  spirits’  (so-called)  if  more  regard  were  paid  to  the 
necessity  of  maintaining  a  calm,  patient,  and  serene  frame 
of  mind.  Some  people  become  excited  as  soon  as  phenom¬ 
ena  commence;  mediums  not  infrequently  get  nervous 
or  timid  when  they  feel  that  they  are  being  affected,  and, 
although  they  desire  to  be  controlled,  are  afraid  to  submit 
to  the  influence  when  they  are  likely  to  lose  consciousness. 
Air  these  are  disturbing  elements,  and  naturally  interfere 
with  the  flow  of  the  forces  that  are  to  be  utilized  and  pre¬ 
vent  the  success  that  is  desired. 

A  spirit  without  any  very  definite  purpose,  finding  him¬ 
self  in  the  presence  of  a  mediumistic  person,  may  seek  to 
influence  him,  and  spasmodic  actions  may  result.  Unless 
the  ‘control’  should  soon  give  evidence  of  clear  thought 
and  definite  purpose  he  should  be  requested,  in  a  kindly 
and  courteous  manner,  to  seek  the  assistance  of  some  spirit 
wKo  understands  the  methods  to  be  employed,  and  induce 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  135 

him  to  excit  his  power  for  the  benefit  of  the  medium  and 
the  circle. 

An  Open  Mind  Necessary. — One  of  the  first  and  most 
elementary  conditions  for  spirit  intercourse  is  this:  Sitters 
and  mediums  alike  should  endavor  to  avoid  prejudging  the 
case,  and  be  as  responsive  and  open-minded  as  possible. 
Positive  expectations  should  not  be  entertained,  or  strong 
claims  made.  But  in  the  careful  scientific  spirit  the  sitters 
should  await  results  and  be  determined  to  hold  their  judg¬ 
ment  in  suspense — to  watch  and  wait ;  and  after  careful 
observation  and  a  number  of  experiments,  conducted  in  a 
sympathetic  but  unbiased,  non-committal  frame  of  mind, 
let  the  facts  themselves  speak. 

Avoid  Theories  but  Gather  Facts.— If  an  inquirer 
has  formed,  or  adopted,  the  theory  that  it  is  all  the  mind 
of  the  medium,  or  the  dominating  thought  of  the  sitter 
(that  the  table  or  the  medium  only  gives  back  the  thoughts 
of  the  most  positive  mind  in  the  circle),  it  will  be  better 
for  him  as  far  as  possible  to  hold  back  that  thought,  and 
watch,  because  if  he  tries  to  control  the  table  movements 
by  the  exercise  jof_ his  will  upon  it,  he  merely  interferes 
with  the  efforts  which  the  spirits  may  be  making.  If  he 
actually  succeeds  in  causing  the  movements  to  occur  as  he 
wills  that  they  shall,  he  does  not  prove  that  spirits  cannot 
do  the  same  thing.  He  may  possibly  switch  them  off  and 
himself  on,  but  in  that  case  the  machine  will  simply  re¬ 
spond  to  his  thought  and  not  theirs.  That  is  all. 

The  Crucial  Question. — What  sincere  truthseekers, 
whether  mediumistic  or  not,  need  to  know  is  this:  ‘Can 
spirits  gain  power  to  move  the  table,  to  make  raps,  to  give 
ns  messages  which  will  prove  their  existence  and  identity?’ 
If  they  set  out  to  obtain  proof  of  the  presence  and  power 
of  spirits,  they  must  give  the  spirits  opportunities  to  sat¬ 
isfy  them  with  evidence. 

Instead  of  interfering  with  the  conditions  and  destroy¬ 
ing  the  connections,  and  then  triumphantly  asserting, 
‘there  are  no  spirits  in  it,  T  moved  the  table  by  my  will, 
it  only  moved  in  harmony  with  my  thoughts,’  the  inquirer 
should  preserve  a  calm,  observant  mood.  He  should  have, 
as  Sir  William  Crookes  said,  ‘a  mind  to  let,’  and  render 


136 


-1  (Juide  io  Mediumship 


assistance  as  far  as  possible  by  observing  the  conditions 
and  seeking  for  proofs  of  spirit  action ;  then,  when  the 
operators  are  ready  to  give  them,  ask  for  tests  of  identity. 

Impressions. — Mrs.  Britton  says :  ‘  ‘  Impressions  ’  ’  are 

the  voices  of  spirits  or  the  monitions  of  the  spirit  within  us, 
and  should  always  be  followed  out,  unless  suggestive  of 
wrong  in  act  or  word,  ’  and  she  advises  that  ‘jf  a  strong  im¬ 
pression  to  write,  speak,  sing,  dance  or  gesticulate  pos¬ 
sesses  any  person  present  in  circle,  it  should  be  faithfully 
obeyed.  It  has  a  meaning  even  if  it  cannot  at  first  be  real¬ 
ized.  ’  Of  course,  care  and  discretion  must  be  exercised ; 
but  in  the  private  or  home  circle  greater  freedom  is  pos¬ 
sible  than  would  be  judicious  in  a  public  gathering. 

Impersonations. — One  of  the  most  interesting  and 
individually  satisfactory  mode  of  spirit  manifestations  is 
that  knoivn  as  ‘impersonating  test  mediumship.’  Most  me¬ 
diums  at  some  stage  of  their  career  are  employed  in  this 
direction,  and  some  of  them  devote  their  whole  time  to  it 
and  place  themselves  at  the  service  of  inquirers  who  desire 
to  get  into  communication  with  their  departed  relatives 
and  friends.  Mr.  F.  W.  II.  Myers  was  compelled  to  con¬ 
cede  the  fact  of  the  inadequacy  of  his  ‘telepathic’  and 
‘subliminal  conciousness’  theories  to  account  for  the  evi¬ 
dences  of  the  identity  and  independent  consciousness  of 
his  spirit  friends  who  controlled  Mrs.  Thompson  and  spoke 
1  to  him  through  her  instrumentality,  recalling  to  his  recol- 
lection  incidents  in  their  mutual  past  experiences  in  such  a 
conclusive  fashion  that  he  thankfully  acknowledged  his  in- 
1  debtedness  to  the  medium  and  his  gratitude  to  the  spirits. 

Why  a  ‘Medium’  is  Needed.— Because  an  individual 
has  passed  through  the  death-change  he  is  not  instantly 
endowed  with  the  knowledge  and  power  to  use  the  aura 
given  off  by  a  sensitive  for  the  purpose  of  communicating 
with  his  earth  friends.  It  is  often  a  source  of  perplexity 
and  pain  to  the  spirit  who  has  just  left  the  body  that,  al¬ 
though  he  speaks  to  those  who  are  mourning  because  of  his 
‘death,’  they  do  not  hear;  though  he  touches  them,  they 
do  not  respond ;  though  he  would  convey  to  them  the  truth 
that  he  is  ‘living,’  they  only  weep  and  grieve,  and  he  is 
compelled  to  turn  sadly  away  as  the  conviction  is  forced 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


137 


upon  him  that  a  barrier  which  he  cannot  overcome  inter¬ 
venes  between  them.  But  although  direct  communication 
could  not  be  established,  they  may  feel  strangely  comforted 
as  the  effect  of  this  influence,  and  leave  his  mortal  form 
with  the  thought  ‘he  is  not  there,  he  is  relieved  from  pain,’ 
or  the  more  familiar  one,  ‘he  is  better  off’! 

Inquirers  sometimes  ask,  ‘Why  must  my  dearest  and 
most  intimate  friend  approach  me  through  the  medium- 
ship  of  a  stranger,  instead  of  coming  directly  to  me?’  Sup¬ 
pose  that  friend  does  endeavor  to  reach  the  inquirer,  but  is 
unable  to  impress  him:  suppose  the  spirit  tries  to  ‘suggest’ 
telepathically  to  his  friend  that  he  is  near  to  him,  and 
fails ;  what  can  he  do  but  seek  out  some  one  through  whom 
he  is  able  to  manifest  because  lie  is  more  psychically  ‘open’ 
and  responsive,  or  else  leave  him  altogether  without  evi¬ 
dence?  ‘The  medium,’  says  Mr.  W.  J.  Colville,  ‘is  par 
excellence  a  sensitive  individual,  whose  sensitiveness  makes 
him  aware  of  presences  undetectable  by  those  of  less  highly 
strung  organization.  Your  friend  comes  to  you,  but  if 
you  cannot  discern  his  presence,  and  one  more  sensitive 
than  yourself  is  able  to  do  so.  it  clearly  follows  that  that 
other’s  mediumship  has  served  simply  as  a  means  of  reveal¬ 
ing  to  you  what  your  own  blunter  perceptions  failed  to 
discern.’ 

Life  After  Death  Real  and  Human. — The  fact  that 
the  life  beyond  death  is  one  where  law  reigns  supreme,  and 
where  ignorance  and  wrong-doing  affect  the  status  of  the 
departed,  holding  them  in  the  conditions  of  spiritual  dark¬ 
ness  and  limiting  their  liberties — while  knowledge,  purity, 
and  loving-kindness  are  necessary  to  the  spirit’s  progress 
and  wellbeing — is  constantly  enforced  from  the  other  side, 
and  Spiritualism  has  shown  us  the  real  life  beyond  the 
tomb,  not  the  stained  glass  personalities  nor  the  mythical 
conditions  of  the  orthodox  sectarian,  but  the  natural  and 
human  beings  who  have  persisted.  It  has  banished  mis¬ 
conception  and  miracle  by  giving  us  glimpses  of  the  facts 
and  the  reign  of  law  in  the  spiritual  world.  The  law  of 
continuity,  of  consequences,  is  as  inexorable  on  the  spir¬ 
itual  as  upon  the  physical  plane,  and  that  which  is  written 
is  written  and  cannot  be  effaced.  No  magic  or  incantation 


138 


A  Guide  io  Mediumship 


can  suddenly  transform  the  dying  John  Jones  into  the 
saintly  soul  'who  is  tit  for  the  celestial  heights  and  the 
companionship  of  the  wisest  angels. 

The  revelation  of  the  simply  human  life  of  the  de¬ 
parted,  of  the  persistence  of  .character,  of  the  maintenance 
of  individuality — with  its  shortcomings,  prejudices,  limita¬ 
tions,  and  personal  characteristics,  as  well  as  the  preserva¬ 
tion  of  all  the  wealth  of  intellect  and  the  treasures  of 
soul  resulting  from  life’s  toil,  study,  and  unfolding— this 
revelation  is,  to  our  thinking,  the  greatest  blessing  which 
Spiritualism  has  conferred  upon  humanity.  If  it  did  no 
more  than  awaken  within  us  a  divine  discontent  with  the 
pettiness  of  the  majority  of  our  thoughts,  feelings,  and 
troubles,  it  would  be  of  great  service  to  the  world ;  and 
those  who  deplore  the  trivialities  are  unconsciously  con¬ 
demning  the  small  and  narrow  conditions  of  the  daily  life 
of  the  average  mortal — because,  such  as  we  are  here  so  shall 
we  be  over  there  until  we  can  grow  to  appreciate  the 
fuller  spiritual. life,,  to  realize  our  ideals  by  application  to 
the  task  of  development,  and  to  recognize  that  beauty 
comes  by  use.  But  Spiritualism  does  infinitely  more  than 
this;  it  demonstrates  the  ‘going  on’  of  human  beings,  the 
preservation  of  identity,  and  the  orderly  continuance — the 
sequential  character — of  life.  Il  dignifies  this  present 
'stage'  of  expression.  It  gives  an  added  incentive  to  effort, 
a  new  grace  to  affection,  and  an  increased  lustre  to  good¬ 
ness  and  worth. 

Many  Methods,  but  One  Object. — The  modes  of 
spirit  manifestation  are  many,  the  phases  wonderfully  va¬ 
ried,  but.  like  a  golden  cord  running  through  them  all, 
there  is  the  distinct  purpose  of  bringing  to  those  on  earth 
the  glad  tidings  and  proof  positive  of  continued  conscious 
personal  existence  in  the  life  after  death.  The  process  of 
psychic  development  is  usually  slow,  and  the  medium  will 
be  likely  to  grow  disheartened ;  but  by  looking  back  over 
the  ground  already  traversed,  and  by  comparing  the  faint 
efforts  made  at  the  commencement  with  the  later  and 
fuller  indications  of  spirit  power,  he  should  feel  en¬ 
couraged,  and  proceed  with  renewed  vigor. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


139 


Mediums  must  Participate  in  their  O  wn  Unfold- 
ment. — Some  mediums  take  little  or  no  interest  in  their 
own  mediumship,  they  are  often  reckless  as  to  conditions 
and  disregardful  of  the  lesson  that  their  experience  should 
teach  them  as  to  the  influence  that  their  sitters  exert  upon 
them ;  they  will  sit,  when  pressed,  to  oblige  so-called 
friends,  even  when  to  do  so  is  injurious  because  they  are 
already  exhausted.  Importunate  acquaintances,  mere 
sightseers  and  wondermongers,  prevail  over  them  because 
they  have  cultivated  the  ‘negative’  frame  of  mind  and 
‘leave  it  all  to  the  spirits,’  and  they  suffer  in  consequence 
of  their  folly,  indifference,  apathy,  and  want  of  personal 
cultivation  of  will  ability  to  govern  themselves.  If  me¬ 
diums  do  not  exercise  self-respect  they  cannot  expect  to  win 
the  respect  of  intelligent  people  in  or  out  of  the  body. 
It  largely  rests  with  themselves  whether  their  gifts  shall 
lead  to  spiritual  graces  and  an  unfolded  selfhood. 

As  Dr.  Dean  Clarke  very  truly  says :  ‘  Novices  in  me¬ 
diumship  have  no  business  to  assume  obligations  they  are 
not  fully  qualified  to  fulfil.  Let  them  take  the  counsel 
given  metaphorically  to  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  to  “tarry 
in  Jerusalem  till  their  beards  are  grown.”  They,  surely, 
should  wait  till  the  spirits  are  strong  enough  to  control 
and  skidd,  them  from  the  meddlesome  interference  of  igno¬ 
rant  people,  both  in  the  flesh  and  out.’ 

We  strongly  urge  all  mediums  to  wait  and  serve  their 
apprenticeship  thoroughly  before  they  undertake  to  sit  for 
sceptics  or  perform  public  work,  either  as  ‘test,’  ‘imper¬ 
sonating,’  ‘speaking,’  ‘seeing,’  or  ‘healing’  mediums,  and 
the  best  place  to  secure  the  necessary  experience,  training, 
and  unfolding  is  in  the  private  home  circle.  After  a  cer¬ 
tain  stage  has  been  reached,  however,  the  medium  who  has 
been  used  for  impersonations  will  in  all  probability  begin 
to  display  the  powers  of  clairvoyance  and  to  receive  vivid 
impressions.  Then  will  come,  or  they  will  be  accompanied 
by,  the  efforts  of  the  spirits  to  pass  beyond  the  purely  per¬ 
sonal  and  limited  forms  of  expression  associated  with  the 
affectionate  messages  and  greetings,  to  the  consideration 
and  explanation  of  the  conditions  and  experiences  of  life 
on  the  other  side.  Spirits  who  can  teach  and  give  more 


140 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


sequential  and  sustained  addresses  will  in  all  likelihood  as¬ 
sume  control,  and  under  such  conditions  it  will  be  found 
necessary  to  enlarge  the  circle  and  introduce  fresh  sitters. 
The  clairvoyant,  or  psychometrist,  needs  new  subjects  with 
whom  to  experiment,  and  the  speaking  medium  requires 
an  audience  to  listen  to  his  discourses,  so  that  the  next 
step  beyond  the  small  private  circle  may  well  be  a  semi¬ 
public  one,  or  an  ‘after-circle’  such  as  is  frequently  held  at 
the  close  of  the  public  Sunday  services  in  many  towns,  at 
which  mediums  who  have  reached  this  stage  are  afforded 
the  opportunities  they  need. 

The  Holy  of  Holies  of  Spiritualism. — Around  the 
family  table,  where  those  who  are  united  in  affection  meet 
to  bold  joyous  communion  with  their  spirit  friends,  where 
the  blended  desire  ascends  to  the  spiritual  plane  and  be¬ 
comes  the  potent  magnetic  attraction  by  which  those 
friends  can  establish  harmonious  relations  with  the  sitters 
— in  such  a  circle  and  under  such  conditions  even  a  weak 
degree  of  mediumistic  responsiveness  to  the  outpouring 
from  the  spirit  side  will  become  intensified  and  exalted, 
until  rhythmic  vibrations  are  established  and  thought  and 
emotion  will  readily  pass  from  one  to  the  other,  and  all 
will  be  attuned.  The  best  method  of  cultivation  is  to  re¬ 
gard  the  mediumistic  sensitiveness  as  a  natural  and  desir¬ 
able  quality,  to  be  evolved  by  training  and  experiment, 
under  the  direction  of  the  reason  and  the  conscience.  In 
this  manner  the  tribunal  which  decides  the  conduct  of  life 
is  ever  present,  and  no  matter  what  influences  are  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  sensitive  he  remains  steadfast,  realizing 
that  the  responsibility  for  use  or  abuse  rests  with  himself. 


A  Cl uidc  to  Mediumship 


141 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PRACTICAL  ADVICE  TO  SENSITIVES. 

No  spirit  can  control  a  medium  against  his  will  and  in¬ 
clination,  if  lie  understands  the  supreme  power  of  his 
own  selfhood. — Hudson  Tuttle. 

We  consider  the  highest  degree  of  physical  health  per¬ 
fectly  compatible  with  the  very  best  manifestation  of  me¬ 
diumship. — J.  J.  Morse. 

The  law  of  sympathy  governs  all  spiritual  relationships, 
and,  as  wc  are  all  spirits  here  and  now,  although  encased 
in  earthly  habiliments,  we  may  come  into  sympathetic 
rapport  with  others  and  be  affected  by,  or  influence  them, 
for  good  or  ill. — 1 5.  G.  E. 

When  an  inquirer  says,  ‘I  have  been  frequently  assured 
by  mediums  that  I  am  mediumistic  and  should  become  a 
successful  medium,  but  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to 
proceed ;  will  you  advise  me  what  to  do  to  become  de¬ 
veloped?’  we  feel  inclined  to  reply:  If  you  are  animated 
by  a  sincere  desire  to  be  of  service  to  others,  and  not  by 
'personal  ambition  or  mercenary  motives,  you  are  in  the 
right  mood  to  enter  upon  the  work.  If  you  are  endowed 
with  the  requisite  temperamental  and  organic  conditions, 
the  discipline  of  experience  will  teach  you  many  things, 
and  Hie  spirits  will  help  you  if  you  are  aspiring.  Do  not, 
however,  expect  immediate,  results.  Mediumship,  unlike 
mushrooms,  cannot  be  forced ,  and  any  attempt  in  that  di¬ 
rection  is  likely  to  be  followed  by  injurious  results. 

no  ‘ secret’  for  sale. 

There  is  no  great  ‘occult  secret’  that  we  can  impart  to 
you.  No  one  can  sell  you  the  knowledge  of  how  to  become 
a  medium  within  a  specified  and  limited  time,  or  develop 


112 


A  Guide  to  Medium  skip 


you  by  a  set  of  ‘lessons.’  It  is,  in  all  eases,  a  matter  of 
time,  and  frequently  of  painstaking  and  long-continued 
investigation,  of  experimental  research,  of  steady  training; 
and  therefore  time  and  patience  are  absolutely  necessary. 
You  will  require  to  be  ^observant,  .cool,  national,  persistent, 
and  affirmative,  remembering  that  ‘it  is  dogged  perseverance 
that  does  it.  ’ 

THE  RESPONSIBILITY  OP  MEDIUMSIIIP. 

Before  you  undertake  to  sit  for  development  we  should 
advise  you  to  read  the  best  books  you  can  procure,  so  that 
you  may  have  a  good  general  knowledge  of,  and  profit  by, 
the  experience  and  advice  of  others,  and  be  prepared  for 
the  trials  and  disappointments  that  you  will  in  all  proba¬ 
bility  have  to  meet.  Further,  we  would  remind  you  that 
while  mediumship  has  its  privileges  and  delights,  it  also 
has  its  duties  and  responsibilities;  its  ‘cross’  as  well  as  its 
‘crown.’  You  should  consider  whether  you  are  prepared 
to  face  the  difficulties;  to  work  and  wait;  to  persevere  in 
spite  of  odium  and  ostracism  on  this  side  and  the  possible 
attacks  of  the  ‘dwellers  on  the  threshold’  on  the  other; 
whether  you  will  suffer  and  be  strong,  and  consecrate  your 
energies  in  an  altruistic  spirit  to  the  Cause  of  Truth  and 
Progress  in  the  service  of  enlightened  spirits  for  the  good 
of  Humanity.  If  you  are  ready  to  do  this  and  endure,  we 
wish  you  God-speed  and  the  wise  guidance  of  true  and 
kindly  spirit  teachers,  and  we  trust  that  you  will  find  our 
advice  of  service  to  you  in  your  studies. 

PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

If  you  have  had  any  reason  to  suppose  that  you  are 
mediumistic  and  can  devote  sufficient  time  and  thought  to 
the  subject  without  unduly  interfering  with  your  present 
occupation,  and  decide  to  try  to  develop  your  powers,  you 
will  do  well  to  study  carefully  the  preceding  chapter  on 
‘Circleholding,’  and  then,  if  possible,  obtain  the  assistance 
of  several  good  and  sympathetic  friends  and  form  a  circle 
as  nearly  as  possible  on  the  lines  mentioned  there.  If  you 
can  secure  the  help  of  someone  who  has  had  experience, 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


143 


especially  if  he  is  ‘impressional’  and  can  realize  what  the 
spirits  desire  to  accomplish,  you  will  be  fortunate,  as  he,  by 
his  sympathy  and  advice,  will  be  able  to  guide  you  and 
facilitate  the  work. 

Cultivate  and  give  expression  to  an  aspirational  frame 
of  mind.  If  you  realty  want  anything  you  generally  ask 
for  it  and  try  to  get  it.  Why  not  pray,  then  ?  Or,  in  other 
words,  petition  your  spirit  friends  to  help  you?  Why  not 
send  out  longing  desires  to  the  Source  of  all  Power,  so  that 
you  may  relate  yourself  harmoniously  to  the  great  stream 
of  psychic  potency  which  flows  all  around  and  through  you, 
and,  by  becoming  attuned,  realize  its  existence  and 
strength  ? 

CAUTION  AND  RESTRAINT  NEEDED. 

On  some  occasions  you  will  probably  'feel  stimulated 
and  so  ‘stirred  up’  that  you  will  be  inclined  to  continue 
the  sitting  beyond  the  limits  which  are  healthful  and  wise. 
After  a  time,  in  a  prolonged  seance,  most  mediums  ex¬ 
perience  a  perceptible  change,  and  weakening,  in  the  tone 
or  quality  of  the  conditions,  frequently  accompanied  by  a 
feeling  of  chilliness  and  weariness.  If  such  sensations  af¬ 
fect”  you,  regard  them  as  a  warning'  that  the  seance  lias 
lasted  as  long  as  is  good  for  you,  and  close  it  as  soon  as 
you  are  able.  The  spirits  are  generally  good-natured  and 
willing  to  do  all  they  can,  and  unless  you  protect  your¬ 
self  they  may  unduly  prolong  the  sitting  without  realizing 
1  he  injury  they  are  inflicting  upon  you.  Experienced 
spirits  protect  their  mediums  by  taking  control  of  this  mat- 
Fer  and  ordering  a  cessation  when  they  consider  it  wise  and 
necessary,  but  until  you  have  friends  who  will  guard  you 
in  this  way  you  must  protect  yourself. 

ABUSE,  NOT  USE,  DANGEROUS. 

Never  forget  that  your  nervo- vital  energy  is  used  and 
expended  in  1  lie  exercise  of  your  mediumship,  and  that  the 
supply  is  limited,  hence  the  necessity  for  care  and  modera¬ 
tion.  Too  frequent,  prolonged,  or  discordant  seances:  in¬ 
harmonious  conditions  and  sittings,  when  you  are  already 
jaded  and  exhausted,  are  therefore  to  be  avoided.  If  you 


144 


A  Guide  to  Modi umship 


make  excessive  demands  upon  your  energies,  nervous  pros¬ 
tration  and  derangements  are  an  almost  inevitable  con¬ 
sequence.  It  is  not  the  use  of  mediumship  but  its  abuse 
that  is  dangerous — perversion  and  excess  are  as  injurious 
in  this  direction  as  they  are  in  others,  whereas  temperate 
and  healthful  exercises  are  strengthening  and  exhilarating. 
If  you  feel  ‘run  down,’  decline  to  sit.  If  you  feel  that  the 
circle  is  inharmonious,  or  that  the  sitters  are  depleted  and 
exacting,  refuse  to  sit. 

If  you  find  that  you  are  tired,  and  feel  weary  and  de¬ 
bilitated  on  the  day  following  your  seances,  you  may  be 
sure  that  you  are  sitting  too  long  or  that  you  require  the 
help  of  a  larger  circle  of  congenial  friends  to  supply  the 
requisite  psychic  force  for  your  further  development, 
j  ‘Mediumship,’  says  Mr.  J.  J.  Morse  in  his  ‘Practical  Oc¬ 
cultism,’  ‘occasionally  acts  in  such  a  manner  that  it  be¬ 
comes  a  stimulant  to  every  organ  and  function  of  the 
system,  and  the  individual  becomes  excited,  nervous,  and 
irritable ;  hence,  the  greater  the  acceleration  of  physiolo¬ 
gical  functions  as  the  result  of  psychical  influences  upon 
the  human  body,  the  more  need  of  caution  and  restraint 
in  every  department  of  physiological  life.’ 

Be  very  chary  about  allowing  anyone  to  “magnetize” 
you  ‘to  aid  your  development,’  or  ‘to  give  you  strength,’ 
as  they  sometimes  put  it.  Because  you  are  a  medium  you 
are  naturally  susceptible  and  negative,  especially  so  while 
you  are  in  the  circle,  and  you  absorb  a  great  deal  of  what 
is  thrown  upon  you.  If  you  permit  people  of  whom  you 
know  little  or  nothing  to  exert  their  influence  over  you, 
it  is  possible  that  very  painful  results  will  ensue.  You 
may  become  involved  in  all  sorts  of  mental  and  passional 
spheres,  and  be  liable  to  the  intrusion  of  spirits  who  will 
produce  discord  and  perhaps  cause  you  a  great  deal  of 
trouble.  If  you  desire  the  best  results  you  must  institute 
|  the  highest  and  most  harmonious  conditions.  Let  your 
I  seances  be  held  in  the  light,  in  well-ventilated  rooms.  Only 
tinder  the  very  best  and  happiest  conditions,  with  personal 
friends  and  in  private  seances,  should  you  be  prevailed 
upon  to  sit  in  darkness.  There  is,  however,  no  need  to  sit 
in  the  full  glare  of  day,  or  the  blaze  of  strong  lights— the 


A  Guide  to  Mediuhmsliip 


145 


‘dim  religious  light’  (or  a  red  shaded  light)  will  be 
sufficient,  and  it  is  conducive  to  restfulness  and  receptivity. 

AVOID  EXTREMES. 

Do  not  get  excited  or  carried  away  by  enthusiasm.  Do 
not  7 give  yourself  away,’  but  maintain  rational  self-con¬ 
trol.  Remember  that  manhood  and  character  are  of 
greater  value  than  mediumship.  Do  n'5t  entertain  the  idea 
that  you  are  so  extremely  sensitive  that  you  are  justified 
in  being  brusque,  peculiar,  odd,  or  rude.  There  is  not  the 
slightest  reason  why  you  should  be  angular,  inconsiderate 
for  others,  or  easily  offended ;  neither  should  you  cultivate 
singularity  in  your  personal  appearance  or  render  your¬ 
self  conspicuous  in  your  dress  or  adornments.  Do  not 
urge  that  you  ‘take  on  the  conditions  of  people,’  and  there¬ 
fore  cannot  shake  hands  with  them,  or  that  some  people 
‘  rob  you  of  your  psychic  force  like  vampires,  and  irritate 
ami  weaken  you.’  The  cultivation  of  your  psychical  na¬ 
ture  should  include  the  knowledge  of  how  to  resist  all  such 
influences  and  how  to  throw  off  the  conditions  that  you 
absorb  from  your  sitters.  It  is  not  necessary  that  you 
should  be  spasmodic,  effeminate  or  incoherent;  all  such 
affectations  are  unworthy  and  bring  mediumship  into  con¬ 
tempt.  It  may  be,  and  doubtless  is  true,  that  to  a  certain 
extent  mediums  do  reflect  their  surroundings  and  are  liable 
to  be  dominated  by  people  both  in  and  out  of  the  body ; 
but  that  fact  should  be  a  warning  to  you  to  be  on  your 
guard  and  to  protect-  yourself,  when  not  actually  sitting  in 
the  seance,  from  becoming  an  echo  of  others,  or  a  mere 
weather-vane  to  show  which  way  the  psychic  winds  are 
blowing.  If  you  are  not  robust  enough,  if  you  have  not 
sufficient  knowledge  and  self-mastery  to  use  your  will  and 
maintain  control  over  your  psychic  self;  if  you  are  unable 
to  guard  against  the  adverse  emanations  or  the  ‘drawing’ 
powers  of  others,  you  had  better  take  lessons  in  coneen- 
1  ration  and  pyschic  self-protection;  and  until  you  under¬ 
stand  the  art  of  self-possession,  refrain  from  attempting 
to  cultivate  your  sensitiveness.  Tt  will  never  do  for  you  to 
be  ‘too  sensitive,’  be  natural,  sensible,  and  strong. 


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FITNESS  THE  TRUE  TEST. 

It  is  a  mistake  for  a  young  medium  to  wish  to  be  some¬ 
thing  of  everything  and  become  envious  because  others 
succeed  in  obtaining  manifestations  that  will  not  occur  in 
his  presence  or  through  his  instrumentality.  We  advise 
you,  therefore,  to  be  ambitious  in  a  rightful  way,  and  strive 
to  give  the  conditions  necessary  to  get  the  best  and  the 
highest  results  within  the  scope  of  your  powers;  but_you 
will  dissipate  your  forces  and  weaken  your  influence  for 
good  if  you  are  discontented,  jealous  of  others,  and  try  to 
outdo  them,  or  to  obtain  phenomena  in  phases  of  medium- 
ship  which  are  not  natural  to  you.  There  are  certain 
phases  of  mediumship  which  interblend  and  can  be  com¬ 
bined  with  good  results,  but  we  wish  you  to  guard  against 
the  disposition  to  be  something  of  everything — and  end  by 
being  nothing  in  particular.  Find  out  what  your  natural 
capabilities  are,  and  seek  to  unfold  them — other  powers 
may  afterwards  develop  as  the  result  of  the  sensitiveness 
that  has  been  thus  evolved. 

SPIRITS  NOT  INFALLIBLE. 

The  instructions  that  your  spirit  friends  will  give  you, 
when  they  get  you  well  in  hand,  as  a  general  rule  may 
safely  be  followed,  but  at  first  you  will  probably  find  it 
difficult  to  get  clear  guidance  from  them.  You  must  there¬ 
fore  keep  a  level  head  and  go  along  very  cautiously.  _Never 
let  any  spirit,  in  or  out  of  the  body,  usurp  your  right  of 
private  judgment  or  exercise  undue  authority  over  you. 
Eternal  vigilance  is  the  price  of  liberty:  you  must  use 
your  own  discretion  and  try  the  spirits  before  you  trust 
to  them. 

The  prevailing  idea  that  a  spirit  will  know  everything 
and  be  able  to  work  miracles,  merely  because  he  is  a  spirit, 
lias  been  a  fruitful  cause  of  mistakes,  and  has  frequently 
Ted  to  much  trouble.  You  should  always  bear  in  mind 
that  a  spirit  is  a  human  being;  not  of  necessity  better 
nor  worse  than  yourself. 

When  you  remember  that  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
people  pass  into  spirit  life,  who  are  not  transformed  by 


J 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


147 


death  but  continue,  for  a  time  at  least,  to  be  much  the 
same  sort  of  people  that  they  were  here,  you  will  realize 
the  unwisdom  of  Indiscriminate  self -surrender  and  the 
danger  of  implicit  reliance  upon,  and  unquestioning 
obedience  to,  the  spirits  who  may  seek  to  use  you  as  their 
agent.  It  is  advisable  to  talk  to  and  reason  with  the 
spirits  as  you  would  with  people  here. 

In  a  ‘developing  circle’  many  things  can  be  tolerated, 
because  both  sides  are  experimenting  and  ‘feeling  their 
way  towards  each  other,’  and  it  is  difficult  at  first  to  know 
just  what  is  necessary  or  possible.  But  it  is  a  safe  rule  to 
follow  to  refuse  to  be  dictated  to  by  the  spirits  and  decline 
to  go  on  blindly. 

THINGS  YOU  SHOULD  NOT  DO. 

Further,  do  not  be  always  ready  to  be  controlled,  or  to 
‘drop  into  aT: ranee 7  just  because  you  ‘feel  the  influence,’ 
and  ‘  a  spirit  wants  to  say  something,’  or  to  oblige  injudi¬ 
cious  friends  who  ‘wish  you  would  let  him  come.’  Many 
people  are  very  inconsiderate,  and  although  they  do  not 
say  so,  they  think  (and  the  sensitive  feels  their  thought)  ‘I 
do  wish  he  would  go  under  control  and  tell  me  something.’ 
You  should  decline  to  be  controlled  except  at  the  times 
when  you  voluntarily  and  with  set  purpose  Jay  yourself 
open  to  the  influence  of  the  spirits,  in  a  properly  con¬ 
stituted  circle,  or  when  you  are  prepared  for  it.  If  the 
spirits  cause  you  to  do  foolish  or  ridiculous  things,  gently 
but  firmly  refuse  to  again  submit.  Do  not  be  induced  to 
yield  by  promise  of  future  greatness  and  success"  Not  a 
few  people  have  had  their  vanity  tickled  and  their  ambi¬ 
tions  aroused  by  the  flattery  of  crafty  and  domineering 
spirits,  and  in  consequence  they  have  been  misled  into  do¬ 
ing  and  saying  very  absurd  and  foolish  things. 

Your  relations  with  the  spirits  should  be  upon  the 
commonsense  basis  of  fraternal  co-operation ;  of  mutual  re¬ 
spect  and  confidence;  of  unity  of  spirit  and  harmony  of 
purpose.  If  you  respect  yourself  and  respect  the  office 
rvF  mediumship,  you  will  almost  certainly  attract  spirits 
who  will  respect  you  and  co-operate  with  you  in  a  wise 
fashion. 


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PROBABLE  EXPERIENCES. 

When  sensitive  people  sit  in  the  ‘circle’  the  first  evi¬ 
dence  of  spirit  influence  which  they  generally  receive,  and 
which  you  will  be  likely  to  experience,  is  a  sense  of  heavi¬ 
ness  in  the  hands,  as  though  they  were  glued  to  the  table; 
pricking  sensations,  as  of  ‘needles  and  pins’^or  as  of  a  mild 
electric  current  in  the  hands  and  along  the  arms,  may  fol¬ 
low,  accompanied  by  a  feeling  as  of  a  cold  breeze  blowing 
over  the  backs,  of  the  hands;  numbness  and  loss  of  sensa¬ 
tion,  or  sudden  jerks  or  vibratory  shakings  of  the  bands 
and  arms  may  ensue.  These  involuntary  and  spasmodic 
actions  may  become  more  continuous,  until  your  hands  re¬ 
volve  rapidly  and  commence  to  make  ‘passes’  over  your 
own  head  and  face,  as  if  you  were  mesmerising  yourself. 
You  should  not  be  afraid,  nor  should  the  sitters  become 
alarmed.  Harmonious  singing  by  the  rest  of  the  members 
of  the  circle  will  prove  helpful,  and  you  will  probably  find 
that,  as  the  movements  become  more  definite,  motions  will 
be  made  as  if  you  were  writing.  In  that  case,  paper  and 
pencil  being  provided,  the  conductor  of  the  circle  should 
request  that  an  attempt  to  write  may  be  made.  Very  prob¬ 
ably  strokes,  circles,  or  other  illegible  marks  will  ensue. 
At  first  the  operators  do  not  know  how  to  direct  the  force 
in  just  the  right  way  for  successful  results,  and  they  have 
to  learn  by  experience. 

Perhaps  table  movements  or  raps  may  occur,  and  com¬ 
munication  be  established  by  those  methods.  Remarkable 
results  are  sometimes  secured  at  the  initial  seance,  but  at 
subsequent  meetings,  failures,  confusion,  unreliable  mes¬ 
sages,  and  unsatisfactory  phenomena  may  alone  transpire. 
Do  not  jump  to  the  conclusion  that  you  are  dealing  with 
evIF  spirits — be  cool  and  hopeful.  Remember  you  are 
merely  ’experimenting,  and  that  the  spirit  people  are  also, 
perhaps  for  the  first  time,  trying  to  penetrate  the  veil 
and  utilize  powers  and  agencies  of  which,  in  all  proba¬ 
bility,  they  know  as  little  as  you.  So  many  possible  dis¬ 
turbing  factors  exist — weather,  varying  psychical  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  sifters,  agitated  mental  states,  too  great  ex¬ 
pectancy,  or  anxiety  for  successful  demonstrations — that 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


149 


the  true  disposition  to  be  maintained  by  the  inquirer  is 
that  of  the  scientific  student,  who  carefully  watches  what 
transpires  and  endeavors  to  discover  the  causes  of  failure 
as  well  as  the  conditions  which  favor  success. 

By  conforming  to  the  advice  which  we  have  already 
given  your  innate  powers  will  in  all  probability  soon  be 
revealed,  but  the  spirit  operators  may  have  to  experiment 
with  you  in  different  ways  in  order  to  ascertain  what  they 
can  do  best  under  the  conditions  that  are  afforded  to  them. 
When  they  have  succeeded  in  establishing  communication 
with  you  and  your  friends,  you  should  request  them  to  ex¬ 
ercise  their  power  in  the  production  of  phenomena  which 
will  demonstrate  the  presence  and  operation  of  excarnate 
Intelligences. 

WHAT  KIND  OF  MEDIUM  SHALL  I  BE ? 

As  a  general  principle  the  best  results  are  secured  by 
special  development  along  the  line  of  natural  aptitude.  A 
‘Jack  of  all  phases  and  master  of  none’  is  a  failure  in 
mediumship  as  well  as  elsewhere.  You  may  find  it  helpful 
to  visit  a  public  medium  who  is  already  developed  and  can 
examine  you  and  give  you  an  insight  into  your  natural 
psychic  powers,  and  counsel  you  regarding  your  qualifica¬ 
tions  and  aptitudes,  and  tell  you  what  to  do ;  but  do  not 
attach  too  much  importance  to  directions  received  in  that 
way,  because  so  much  depends  on  the  knowledge  and  power 
of  the  operator.  One  spirit  might  use  you  with  success  in 
one  direction  and  another  in  some  other  phase;  just  as  one 
mesmerist  may  make  a  subject  clairvoyant  when  another 
has  previously  attempted  to  do  so  and  failed.  Nothing  but 
actual  experience  will  settle  the  point.  If,  however,  after 
a  reasonable  amount  of  patient  devotion  to  the  experiment 
you  do  not  succeed,  or  are  disappointed  with  what  has 
been  done,  it  will  be  advisable  to  effect  a  change  in  the 
conditions.  A  dissatisfied  state  of  mind  is  a  dangerous  one. 

You  may,  if  you  choose,  sit  by  yourself,  and  try  to  ob¬ 
tain  table  movements,  or  to  get  ‘automatic’  or  passive  writ¬ 
ing.  You  can  make  experiments  in  psychometry  or  try 
crystal  gazing,  or  endeavor  to  ‘visualize’  and  to  become 
elairaudient,  but  we~should  not  advise  you  to  sit  alone  and 


150 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


invite  spirits  to  put  you  into  the  trance,  as  it  would  be 
awkward  if  some  boisterous  or  foreign  spirit  were  to  take 
control  of  you  and  decline  to  withdraw  his  influence,  or  did 
not  know  how  to  release  you  and  restore  you  to  your  nor¬ 
mal  state;  it  might  prove  injurious  to  yourself,  and  your 
friends  would  be  frightened  and  not  know  what  to  do  un¬ 
less  they  were  experienced  Spiritualists.  It  is  better  to 
join  a  good  private  circle. 

WHY  SOME  PEOPLE  DO  NOT  DEVELOP. 

You  may  have  been  informed  already  that  you  are  a 
medium,  and  that  if  you  sit  you  will  develop  certain  gifts ; 
but  you  may  say:  ‘I  have  sat  and  have  not  developed  as 
I  was  assured  I  should !  ’  That  is  quite  probable.  The  me¬ 
dium  whom  you  consulted  may  have  misjudged  your  capa¬ 
bilities;  the  spirit  may  have  estimated  what  he  could  have 
done  with  or  through  you,  and,  from  his  point  of  view,  may 
have  been  perfectly  accurate;  but  possibly  the  spirits  who 
have  endeavored  to  develop  you  were  unable  to  succeed. 
People  often  say:  ‘I  have  been  told  many  times  that  I 
should  make  a  good  medium,  but  I  have  not  yet  had  satis¬ 
factory  results. 5  When  we  hear  such  statements  we  are 
jmompted  to  ask:  ‘Have  you  sat  for  development  for  any 
length  of  time  in  a  harmonious  and  congenial  circle?’  You 
cannot  expect  growth  unless  you  give  the  requisite  con¬ 
ditions.  You  might  as  well  anticipate  a  harvest  without 
sowing  the  seed — just  because  you  bought  a  sack  of  wheat ! 
The  marvellous  results  achieved  by  expert  acrobats  and 
athletes  are  due  to  their  indomitable  determination  to  suc¬ 
ceed,  and  their  steady  and  continuous  training  of  eye,  and 
muscle,  and  nerve.  They  concentrate  their  attention  and 
focus  all  their  powers,  and  are  at  once  temperate,  patient, 
and  persevering  in  their  experiments.  The  same  spirit  of 
devotion ;  the  same  firm  attitude  and  watchful  attention  to 
all  the  details ;  and  the  same  observance  of  the  conditions, 
physical,  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual,  are  needed  if  you 
would  educate  yourself  and  become  a  fit  and  serviceable 
instrument  for  exalted  spirit  intelligences  to  afford  hu¬ 
manity  the  benefit  of  their  experiences  ‘over  there.7 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


151 


REGARDING  MESMERIC  ‘  DEVELOPERS.  ’ 

Mesmeric  influence  from  an  experienced  operator,  for 
the  purpose  of  inducing  susceptibility,  is  sometimes  helpful 
to  a  sensitive.  If  the  mesmerist  can  put  you  into  the  trance 
condition  and  then  hand  you  over  to  trustworthy  spirits 
to  control  you,  well  and  good.  In  the  same  way,  mesmeric 
‘passes’  may  be  helpful  in  the  liberation  of  your  clair¬ 
voyant  powers.  The  operator  may  succeed  in  throwing 
you  into  the  deep  trance  state,  in  which  you  may  travel  or 
become  clairvoyant,  but  we  should  not  recommend  you  to 
submit  to  mesmeric  influence  or  hypnotic  suggestions  from 
anyone,  unless  you  know  that  he  is  an  experienced  and  a 
thoroughly  honorable  and  trustworthy  individual. 

In  circles  for  development  one  member  is  frequently 
impressed,  or  controlled,  to  make  magnetic  passes  over  an¬ 
other  to  aid  in  his  unfoldment;  and  if  such  a  thing  should 
happen  to  you,  and  the  influence  is  congenial,  there  need  be 
no  objection  raised  by  you;  but  beware  of  those  people  who 
claim  to  be  able,  by  mesmerism,  to  develop  you  into  a 
medium  in  a  given  period  of  time.  Professor  Loveland 
says:  ‘The  conscious  self  must  first  consent  before  any  con¬ 
trol  can  be  acquired  over  the  sub-conscious  or  automatic 
self-hood.  .  .  In  too  many  eases,  only  the  power  of 

auto-hypnotism  is  manifested,  and  we  have  obsession,  fraud 
and  folly  as  the  result.  There  is  one  sure  method  of  detect¬ 
ing  the  auto-hypnotic  trance,  and  showing  the  difference 
between  that  and  the  genuine  spirit  trance.  ^Any  com¬ 
petent  magnetist  or  liypnotiser  can  throw  off  the  spell  in 
all  cases  of  self-induced  trance,  unless  it  has  reached  the 
condition  of  complete  catalepsy.  But,  if  a  spirit  has  in¬ 
duced  the  trance  and  controls  the  medium,  it  will  laugh 
at  your  efforts  to  restore  him  to  the  ordinary  condition. 
The  most  unfortunate  feature  of  this  sorry  business  is  that 
the  poor  subject  is  self-deceived  and  imagines  that  he  or 
she  is  a  full-fledged  medium;  and  when  he  has  made  some 
terrible  break  on  the  platform  or  elsewhere  he  shields  him¬ 
self  by  laying  all  the  responsibility  upon  some  supposed 
spirit  guide.’ 

No  sensible  person  would  surrender  himself  to  the 
magnetic  influence  of  a  human  being  of  whom  he  knew 


152 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


nothing ;  he  would  need  to  know  and  have  confidence  in 
him  before  doing  so ;  yet  we  find  many  who,  impelled  by 
a  desire  to  be  a  medium,  without  understanding  how  much 
the  word  implies,  sit  down  and  invite  any  spirit  that  comes 
along  to  experiment  upon  them !  Under  such  circum¬ 
stances  nothing  but  a  high  motive  and  a  pure  purpose  will 
protect  them  from  the  operations  of  unwise  or  mischievous 
intelligences.  As  well  might  they  go  and  sit  in  a  public 
place  with  their  eyes  blindfolded  and  with  an  inscription 
on  their  breasts,  ‘Who  will  come  and  magnetize  me?’ 

It  has  been  frequently  asserted,  and  we  believe  with 
truth,  that  no  one  who  is  averse  to  it  can  be  hypnotised 
unless  he  yields  to  persuasion  without  realizing  the  need 
for  resistance!  No  one 'who  is  watchful  over  himself  can 
be  drawn  away  to  paths  of  vice  or  crime  who  has  not  the 
inclination  in  that  direction,  unless  he  is  ignorant  and  too 
confiding.  The  man  who  has  gained  control  over  his  de¬ 
sires  and  is  "morally  self-centered  cannot  be  hypnotised  or 
suggestibnised  into  wrong-doing,  because  the  very  sugges¬ 
tion  is  repugnant  to  him,  and  therefore  there  is  little  or 
no  danger  so  long  as  the  sensitive  is  alive  to  the  need 
(which  always  exists  for  everyone)  to  maintain  a  level 
head  and  a  pure  purpose;  a  strong  ‘will’  to  do  the  right 
and  a  strong  ‘won’t  towards  the  wrong. 

PSYCHIC  SPONGES. 

There  are  some  people  who,  when  they  sit  in  a.  circle, 
are  extremely  helpful,  and  give  off  the  right  kind  of  force 
that  readily  blends  with  that  of  the  sensitive;  but  there 
are  others  who  draw  upon  and  appropriate  the  psychic 
forces  which  are  needed  by  the  medium,  or  by  the  spirits 
through  the  medium.  While  they  mean  well,  enjoy  the 
seances,  and  feel  ‘so  much  better’  after  them,  the  success 
of  the  circle  is  endangered  so  far  as  the  object  for  which 
it  was  formed  is  concerned.  Such  persons  should  be  re¬ 
quested  to  sit  outside  the  circle  or  be  asked  kindly  to  re¬ 
frain  from  attending. 

FALLING  ASLEEP. 

If  you  should  fall  into  a  quiescent  state  resembling 
sleep  when  in  the  circle,  and  neither  feel  inclination  nor 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


.153 


ability  to  move  or  speak,  do  not  be  alarmed,  but  if  you 
are  sufficiently  conscious,  request  that  a  good  spirit  friend 
will  come  and  use  you.  IF,  however,  you  are  mentally  in¬ 
active  as  well  as  physically  quiescent,  your  friends  must  in¬ 
tervene  after  a  time  and  audibly  solicit  spirit  aid.  If  you 
get  no  further,  and  at  subsequent  sittings  continue  to  fall 
into  this  inert  and  unsatisfactory  comatose  condition,  ^you 
must  make  up  you  mind  before  you  sit  that  you  will  awake 
out  of  the  lethargy  after  about  ten  minutes  unless  some  j 
spirit  influences  you  in  some  way.  You  must  give  yourself/ 
the ^suggestion  ’  to  awake,  and  after  that  you  may  try  what 
you  can  do  in  the  way  of  psyeliometry  or  conscious  auto¬ 
matic  writing.  * 

TRANCE  AND  INSPIRATIONAL  SPEAKING. 

Fhe  mental  phases  of  mediumsliip  involve  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  a  degree  of  impressibility  which  may  range  from 
the  conscious  reception  of  suggestion,  or  impulses,  or 
thoughts  from  other  intelligences  to  the  lucidity  on  the 
spiritual  plane  which  is  displayed  by  conscious  clear- 
seeing.  or  spirit-sight.  The  phenomena  of  super-sensuous 
reception  due  to  spirit  influence  are  elicited  in  much  the 
same  way  as  the  mesmerist  aropses  the  clairvoyant  powers 
of  his  subject.  The  somnambulic  sleep,  or  trance,  is  in- 1 
duced  in  the  subject  whose  voluntary  powers  are  no  longer 
under  his  control,  and  the  involuntary  processes  are  well- 
nigli  suspended.  In  this  state  his  spirit  sometimes  gains 
a  large  degree  of  freedom,  and  is  able  to  perceive  on  the 
inner  or  spiritual  plane. 

If  you  are  likely  to  become  a  trance-speaking  medium 
you  will  probably  experience  a  sensation  as  a  falling  or 
clizziness,  as  if  you  are  going  to  faint;  this  may  continue 
until  you  become  entirely  unconscious  on  the  external 
plane,  and  you  will  know  no  more  until  you  regain  your 
normal”  condition,  although,  while  under  the  influence  of 
the  operator,  you  may  have  been  speaking  more  or  less 
coherently.  He  may  not,  at  first,  be  able  to  convey  the 

*  See  Part  III.  of  this  ‘Guide’  for  instructions  regarding  psy¬ 
chical  self-culture. 


1 54 


A  Guide  io  Mediumship 


exact  impression  he  wishes  to  produce.  Ilis  ‘suggestion' 
is  not  strong  enough  to  set  your  involuntary  nerves  vibrat¬ 
ing  in  just  the  way  he  desires  ;  consequently  his  thought  is 
not  transferred  to  you  in  a  manner  which  ensures  faithful 
reproduction,  and  you  should  not  be  disappointed  because 
of  such  imperfect  results  at  the  outset.  If  your  mind  is 
tilled  with  the  desire  to  succeed  you  will  become  too  self- 
conscious,  and  thus  destroy  the  very  conditions  upon  which 
success  depends.  You  need  to  lose  sight  of  yourself  and  be¬ 
come  calm  and  receptive,  so  that  the  message  may  be  trans¬ 
mitted  without  hindrance. 

It  is  very  probable  that  you  will  be  semi-conscious.  The 
influence  will  stimulate  your  breathing,  which  will  become 
.rapid  and  irregular ;  your  eyes  will  close  and  you  will  be 
unable  to  open  them,  and  your  hands  and  body  may  twitch 
mid  jerk  as  if  you  were  being  subjected  to  a  series  of  gal¬ 
vanic  shocks.  The  sitters  should  keep  calm  and  sympa¬ 
thetic,  but  they  should  check  any  tendency  on  your  part 
to  undue  noise,  or  violence,  or  absurdity.  You  will  be 
aware  of  what  you  are  doing,  but  unable  to  exercise  the 
will  to  interfere  or  try  to  stop.  You  will  most  likely  be¬ 
come  conscious  of  an  impulse  to  do  something,  or  to  ‘blurt 
out’  certain  words.  If  you  resist  you  will  only  make  the 
task  more  difficult  and  hinder  the  attainment  of  the  end  you 
have  in  view.  Your  best  course  is  to  hold  your  judgment 
in  suspense;  do  not  be  hostile  or  critical,  but  act  out  your 
impressions.  Let  the  influence  have  its  course — say  what 
you  feel  you  must  say,  and  never  mind  about  your  own 
state  of  consciousness,  You  will  be  much  more  likely  to 
pass  into  the  unconsciousness  trance  (if  you  desire  to  do 
so)  if  you  can  say :  ‘Now,  spirit  friend,  I  trust  myself  to 
you  and  will  yield  my  body  and  brain  to  your  control,  for 
you  to  do  the  best  you  can  with  and  through  me.  I  am 
willing  To  co-operate  with  you  for  the  time  being,  and 
trust  you  to  do  your  utmost  for  the  good  of  others.’  It  is 
not  necessary  that  you  should  be  entirely  unconscious, 
although  you  may  think  it  is,  to  prove  that  another  Intel¬ 
ligence  is  operating  upon  and  through  you.  The  evidence 
of  that  fact  will  be  displayed  in  the  nature  of  the  message 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


155 


and  the  unusual  ability  exhibited  by  you  when  under  the 
stimulating  influence  of  the  operator. 

There  is  only  one  way  to  develop  as  an  inspirational 
speaker,  and  that  is  to  try.  Take  every  opportunity  to 
express  the  thoughts  that  come  to  you.  Speak,  and  fear 
not.  Facility  of  expression  will  come.  You  cannot  ex¬ 
pect  that  ideas  will  be  poured  through  you  unless  you  let 
them  flow.  Study  elocution,  if  you  like ;  the  way  in  which 
things  are  said  is  very  important,  seeing  that  it  has  great 
influence  upon  the  hearers.  Do  not  be  troubled  about  icho 
the  inspirers  are  if  you  receive  and  express  bright,  true, 
rational,  and  helpful  thoughts.  If  you  utter  the  thoughts 
that  come  to  you  others  will  follow,  but  if  you  do  not  speak 
out  your  first  thoughts  you  cannot  expect  that  others  will  be 
given.  Yrou  may  know  before  you  speak  what  is  going  to 
be  said— even  so,  out  with  it,  and  let  the  sitters  judge  as  to 
its  value. 

Most  mediums  find  that  their  powers  vary.  Sometimes 
there  seems  to  be  a  high  degree  of  lucidity.  The  impres¬ 
sions  which  they  receive  are  clear  and  strong;  the  ideas 
seem  to  flow  through  them  freely,  and  the  quality  of  the 
inspirations  is  exhilarating,  and  t hey  feel  strengthened  and 
uplifted.  But  there  are  other  days  when  they  feel  very 
much  alone.  The  influence  that  effects  them  is  weak ;  they 
get  only  hazy  impressions,  and  there  is  a  woeful  lack  of 
ideas.  It  seems  as  though  the  heavens  were  brass,  or  they 
themselves  were  unresponsive.  They  know  not  why,  but 
whatever  they  can  ‘lay  hold  of,’  so  to  speak,  or  whatever 
the  spirit  people  can  project  into  their  sphere  seems  forced 
and  incomplete.  If  you  should  have  these  experiences,  turn 
your  attention  to  something  else.  Do  not  ‘harp  on  one 
siring’  too  much.  Physical  exercise,  change  of  scene,  social 
company,  and  rest  will  soon  restore  your  tone  and  renew 
your  powers. 

Should  you  be  controlled  to  give  public  ‘addresses’  it 
will  be  best  to  withhold  the  name  of  the  spirit  who  prompts 
or  compels  your  utterances.  Most  intelligent  spirits  pre¬ 
fer  to  be  known  by  their  teachings  rather  than  by  the 
names  they  bore  when  on  earth.  If  the  addresses  are  elo¬ 
quent  and  beautiful  and  the  thoughts  presented  are  good 


156 


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and  true,  they  will  be  acceptable  on  their  own  merits,  and 
would  not  be  one  bit  more  valuable  because  they  were 
inspired  by  some  well-known  historical  person.  Whereas,  if 
you  announce  the  name  of  the  spirit,  your  hearers  may  con¬ 
sider  that  the  address  does  not  come  up  to  the  standard  of 
the  ability  displayed  by  that  individual  before  he  died,  and 
may  discredit  and  discard  the  good  that  they  might  other¬ 
wise  have  found  in  your  utterances. 

If  spirits  voluntarily  tender  you  their  advice  upon  busi¬ 
ness  matters,  especially  if  they  are  friends  or  relatives  whom 
you  know  and  trust,  and  who,  when  here,  were  capable 
and  experienced  business  people,  you  may  well  give  heed 
to  their  counsel,  even  though  you  may  not  feel  it  wise  to 
follow  it;  but  do  not  make  a  practice  of  going  to  the  spirits 
£or  information  regarding  matters  of  trade  or  finance.  Why 
should  you  expect  that  wise  and  enlightened  spirits  should 
concern  themselves  about  stocks  and  shares,  commerce,  or 
manufacturing?  Probably  they  knew  but  little  about  those 
things  when  they  were  here,  and  have  no  need  for  such 
knowledge  over  there  ;  and  it  will  be  well  for  you  to  learn  to 
live  your  own  life,  do  your  own  business,  and  accept  the 
ordinary  duties  and  responsibilities  which  naturally  devolve 
upon  you.  Let  mediumship  be  a  part  of  your  education  and 
development,  not  the  whole. 

A  FEW  WORDS  OF  WARNING. 

Do  not  go  into  public  promiscuous /developing  circles.’ 
There  is  always  a  danger  of  ‘cross  magnetism’  and  dis¬ 
orderly  manifestations  in  such  gatherings.  Owing  to  the 
mixed  and  inharmonious  mental,  moral,  and  psychical  con¬ 
ditions  which  necessarily  exist  where  a  number  of  strangers 
and  curiosity-seekers  are  attracted,  you  run  the  risk  of  be¬ 
ing  affected  by  undeveloped,  unprincipled,  frivolous,  mer¬ 
cenary,  self-assertive,  or  even  immoral  spirits,  who  being 
attracted  to  such  assemblies  seek  to  influence  incautious 
and  susceptible  people  who  ignorantly  render  themselves 
liable  to  their  control.  The  people  ‘on  the  other  side’ 
are  human  beings  of  all  grades ;  they  are  not  morally  puri¬ 
fied  by  passing  through  the  death-change ;  and  as  we 


.4  Guide  to  Mediumship 


157 


are  constantly  sending  into  the  other  state  ‘all  sort  and  con¬ 
ditions  of  people,’  you  need  not  be  at  all  surprised  if  you 
get  into  intercourse  with  the  vain  and  foolish,  the  unreliable 
and  pretentious,  or  the  selfish  and  sinful,  if  you  indiscrimi¬ 
nately  open  the  doors  of  your  psychic  self  and  give  a  free  in¬ 
vitation  to  any  spirit  ‘passer  b}\’ 

‘You  can  waste  your  time,  you  can  sit  in  circles,  absorb 
all  kinds  of  psychological  influences,  exhaust  your  own, 
and  in  many  cases  become  so  filled  up  with  contending 
influences  that  you  are  in  a  state  of  psychological  fever  all 
the  time,  or  so  exhaust  yourself  that  you  will  become  as  limp 
and  useless  as  a  rag.  This  is  not  the  way  to  use  the  oppor¬ 
tunities  you  have;  and  you  should  avoid  the  injudicious, 
promiscuous,  and  insane  methods  of  development  of  many 
who  are  extremely  anxious  to  develop  you  as  medium,  and 
who  often  bring  discredit  upon  the  subject  of  mediumship, 
and  do  no  one  the  slightest  practical  good — not  even  them¬ 
selves.* 

We  admit  that  the  motives  of  those  who  conduct  public 
promiscuous  developing  circles  are  good  in  most  cases, 
but  their  methods  are  frequently  ‘injudicious’ — to  put  it 
mildly. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances,  your  own  pure  purpose 
and  the  spirits  who  are  in  sympathy  with  your  exalted  de¬ 
sires  and  intentions,  are  sufficient  safeguards  against  the 
intrusion  of  low,  mischievous  or  malicious  spirits,  but  you 
should  not  venture  into  conditions  which  require  the  trained 
and  disciplined  will,  and  the  influence  of  wise  and  power¬ 
ful  spirits  to  protect  you  against  danger,  until  you  have 
acquired  the  ability  to  render  yourself  positive  to  the  psychic 
spheres,  of  undesirable  people,  both  in  and  out  of  the  form, 
and  can  voluntarily  become  negative  and  responsive 
to  the  true  and  trustworthy  friends  whom  you  know 
and  love. 


* ‘Practical  Occultism,’  by  J.  J.  Morse. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


a.o8 


CHAPTER  V. 

PRACTICAL  ADVICE  TO  SENSITIVES. — CONTINUED. 

The  importance  of  mediumship  can  hardly  be  exagger¬ 
ated,  for,  without  it,  there  could  be  no  evidence  of  the  sur¬ 
vival,  identiy,  and  progressive  evolution  of  those  who  have 
shuffled  off  the  ‘muddy  vesture  of  decay,’  their  physical 
bodies.— B.  G.  E. 

The  action  of  the  controlling  spirit  is  exactly  analogous 
to  what  is  known  among  you  as  mesmeric  control.  The 
spirit,  whether  in  or  out  of  the  body,  operates  on  another 
spirit  in  the  same  way.  The  controlling  spirit  affects  the 
controlled  by  mesmeric  power,  and  the  shiverfngs  are 
caused  by  the  passage  of  the  influence  from  the  controlling 
fo  the  controlled.  When  you  know  more  of  the  action  of 
all  the  forces  which  are  operating  round  and  in  you,  you 
will  see  that  they  are  far  simpler  than  you  fancy ;  and  that 
what  we  describe  as  will  power  is  at  the  root  of  every¬ 
thing. — ‘Imperator,’  through  ‘M.  A.  (Oxon.).’ 

THE  WHEREABOUTS  OP  THE  CONTROL. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  spirit  operator,  geographi¬ 
cally  speaking,  should  be  near  you  when  you  experience 
his  power,  although  clairvoyants  frequently  see  the  spirits 
at  work  upon  their  subjects,  making  ‘passes’  over,  and 
pouring  out  their  influence  upon  them.  This  force,  or 
‘aura,’  is  luminous;  if  varies  in  density  and  color  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  conditions,  and  is  often  thrown  upon  the  sensi¬ 
tive  from  behind,  the  spirit  mesmerist  standing  a  few  feet 
from,  and  a  little  above,  the  medium.  The  operators  who 
do  this  preliminary  work  of  entrancement  and  training 
are  almost  invariably  those  who  are  not  very  far  removed 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


159 


from  the  earth  grade  of  psychical  environment — spirits 
whose  aura  is  both  physical  and  psychical,  and  who  are 
therefore  able  to  relate  themselves  readily  to,  and  affect, 
the  psychic  sphere  of  the  neophyte,  whose  conditions  are 
not  responsive  to  the  higher  and  more  subtle  vibrations  of 
exalted  spirits,  and  therefore  cannot  yet  he  influenced  by 
their  advanced  thoughts. 

As  the  work  of  unfoldment  proceeds  and  your  psychic 
nature  is  tuned  to  a  higher  key,  the  spirits  who  have  been 
engaged  in  the  preparatory  work  are  able,  after  they  have 
entranced  you,  to  stand  aside  and  hand  you  over  to  tire 
more  advanced  and  powerful  controls,  who  ensphere  your 
brain  and  act  upon  it.  These  enlightened  ‘teaching  spir¬ 
its’  are  seldom  able  to  draw  near  to  the  earth;  distance  is 
no  barrier  to  them,  save  only  the  distance  of  grade  and 
qualify  and  thought  and  spirit,  or  the  difference  of  plane, 
hr  spiritual  state.  Il  follows  from  what  we  have  said  that 
you  can  contribute  largely  to  the  development  of  your  own 
powers  by  the  cultivation  of  harmony;  by  sincerity  of  pur¬ 
pose  and  purity  of  motive  as  well  as  by  spiritual  concen¬ 
tration  and  aspiration. 

In  the  developing  circle  and  upon  the  public  platform, 
should  you  undertake  public  work,  it  will  be  of  great  serv¬ 
ice  to  you  to  have  kindly  and  sympathetic  sitters  by  your 
side.  A  cold,  self-contained,  absorbing,  critical,  or  hostile 
sitter,  or  chairman,  will  frequently,  although  unintention¬ 
ally,  derange  the  conditions  or  prevent  success  by  his  un¬ 
congenial  sphere  and  hard  mental  attitude,  which  inevit¬ 
ably  affects  his  psychic  emanations,  and  in  turn  detri¬ 
mentally  operates  upon  your  psychic  sphere  and  sensitive 
mind. 

SOME  NECESSARY  PRECAUTIONS. 

Precautions  should  he  taken  on  all  occasions  against 
sudden  movements  on  the  part  of  the  sitters.  In  those 
seances  where  physical  phenomena  occur  it  has  frequently 
been  noticed  that  the  breaking  of  the  circle  has  led  to  the 
cessation  of  the  manifestations,  and  similar  results  ensue 
in  seances  where  mental  mediumship  is  being  evolved. 
Abrupt  and  unexpected  movements  disturb  the  conditions, 


160 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


and  as  these  are  centred  in  the  medium  all  such  disturb¬ 
ances  react  upon  him.  On  the  public  platform,  if  you 
would  have  the  best  results,  you  should,  if  possible,  be  ac¬ 
companied  by  a  kindly  and  appreciative  chairman,  who 
should  on  no  account  allow  other  persons  to  move  about 
near  to  or  pass  behind  you.  Spiritualists  talk  freely  to 
inquirers  about  the  necessity  for  observing  conditions,  but 
frequently  fail  to  regard  them  themselves.  We  have  known 
trance  speakers  experience  considerable  pains  as  the  result 
of  the  thoughtlessness  of  individuals  who  have  passed  close 
behind  them  just  as  the  address  was  about  to  commence 
or  during  its  delivery. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  effect  upon  sensitives  of  un¬ 
expected  disturbances,  we  may  mention  a  recent  experi¬ 
ence  at  the  usual  weekly  seance  of  a  medium  who  is  under 
development.  While  she  was  being  controlled  the  fire  had 
burnt  hollow,  and  the  coals  fell  together,  causing  a  sudden 
illumination.  The  medium  was  very  much  affected,  but 
with  an  effort  the  spirit  was  able  to  maintain  its  hold  upon 
her.  The  husband  of  the  medium  placed  a  newspaper  in 
front  of  the  fire  to  shut  off  the  light,  but  put  it  a  little  too 
near,  so  that  in  a  few  minutes  the  paper  caught  fire  and 
burst  into  a  big  blaze.  This  second  disturbance  so  affected 
the  medium  that  the  control  was  broken ;  she  sank  back  in 
her  chair  in  a  fainting  condition,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  her  consciousness  was  restored.  The  medium  was 
laid  upon  a  sofa  and  restoratives  were  applied.  After 
some  four  or  five  minutes  the  spirit  spoke  through  her  a 
few  words  to  the  effect  that  the  medium  would  recover 
soon,  and  that  the  spirit  people  were  assisting  to  restore 
her.  In  about  another  five  minutes  the  medium  recovered 
consciousness,  and  felt  little  the  worse  except  for  some 
headache. 

‘calling  up’  the  spirits. 

‘I  can  call  spirits  from  the  vasty  deep,  but  will  they 
come? — aye,  there’s  the  rub.’  Some  very  curious  notions 
have  got  abroad  in  regard  to  spirits  which  it  is  necessary 
we  should  consider  lest  you  should  have  adopted  them,  and 
the  difficulty  of  your  investigation  and  development  be 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


161 


increased  in  consequence.  One  of  the  principal  and  most 
curious  of  these  misconceptions  is  the  prevailing  idea  that 
mediums  ‘call  up’  or  ’bring’  the  spirits — as  though  the 
peo^eWiTMTTe- other  world  were  at  their  ‘beck  and  call,’ 
and  were  compelled  to  do  their  best. 

This  is  not  only  an  absurd  but  a  dangerous  idea,  as  it 
may  lead  to  a  variety  of  unpleasant  experiences.  Occult¬ 
ists  sometimes  assure  us  that  the  ‘adept’  occupies  a  super¬ 
ior  position  to  that  of  the  medium,  for,  they  affirm,  he  can 
control  the  spirits;  he  can  ‘summon’  them  and  compel 
them  to  do  his  bidding  instead  of  being  controlled  by  them. 
Let  us  suppose  that  this  claim  is  not  a  mere  empty  asser¬ 
tion,  but  is  based  upon  knowledge,  what  kind  of  spirits 
will  serve,  and  consent  to  be  enslaved  by,  the  man  thus 
despotically  imposes  his  will  upon  them?  We  have  been 
assured  by  one  who  claimed  to  know  from  personal  experi¬ 
ence,  that  only  very  undeveloped  beings  can  be  reached 
and  employed  by  the  occultist,  and  he  is  even  then  in  con¬ 
stant  danger,  for,  should  he  lose  his  power  to  subjugate 
them,  they  will  inevitably  turn  upon  him  and  exact  a  ter¬ 
rible  retribution.  Their  influence,  even  when  he  is  success¬ 
ful,  is  likely  to  be  demoralizing  in  its  effect  upon  him,  said 
our  informant,  and  it  is  far  better,  therefore,  to  follow  a 
healthy,  rational,  and  spirtual  course.  You  will  be  spared 
many  trials  and  avoid  many  pitfalls  if  you  recognize  the 
humanity  of  the  people  of  the  other  life.  This  implies 
that  they  have  wills  and  ways  of  their  own ;  that  they  can 
think,  and  plan,  and  perform  along  independent  and  orig¬ 
inal  lines;  and  that  no  self-respecting  spirit  will  consent 
to  be  a  tool  of,  or  an  appendage  to,  a  medium  any  more 
than  the  latter  should  submit  to  dictation  from,  or  coercion 
by,  the  spirit  who  uses  him. 

When  mediums  talk  about  ‘my  spirits.’  or  ‘my  guides,’ 
with  an  air  of  proprietorship,  one  is  inclined  to  ask  what 
manner  of  people  their  ‘guides’  are;  just  as  the  statement, 
‘My  guides  won't  let  me  do  so-and-so,’  awakens  one’s 
scepticism  or  pity,  or  the  fear  that  the  sensitive,  by  over¬ 
much  confidence  and  credulity,  has  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  unscrupulous  pretenders  on  the  other  side,  or  is  self- 


362 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


deluded  by  his  own  egotistic  desires  for  communion  with 
some  exalted  ‘authority.’ 

The  spirit  people  act  of  their  own  volition.  They  are 
prompted  by  similar  motives  to  those  which  actuated  them 
while  they  were  here.  They  cannot  be  ‘commandered’ 
and  ‘brought’  by  you,  or  by  those  who  sit  with  you.  They 
will  visit  you  if  they  love  you,  or  if  they  can  help  you; 
but  do  not  try  to  compel  them. 

You  may  send  out  your  thoughts  and  offer  a  kindly 
invitation,  but  if  the  spirits  are  otherwise  engaged,  if  they 
have  no  desire  to  return,  if  they  do  not  believe  it  possible, 
or  lawful,  or  desirable  to  re-visit  these  ‘glimpses  of  the 
moon,’  they  will  not  come.  You  may  ‘call  spirits’  from 
‘vasty  deeps’  or  heavenly  plains,  but  depend  upon  it  they 
will  exercise  their  own  judgment  whether  they  will  re¬ 
spond;  and  you  will  need  to  be  on  your  guard,  doubly  on 
your  guard,  if  you  indiscriminately  open  your  psychic 
nature  to  visitants  from  the  other  side  in  promiscuous  con¬ 
ditions,  lest  "some ‘impersonating  practical  joker,  or  even 
worse,  should  seize  the  opportunity  to  amuse  himself  and 
strut  in  borrowed  plumes  at  your  expense. 

‘  GUIDES.  ’ 

Another  erroneous  idea  needs  to  be  considered.  Some¬ 
how,  we  cannot  quite  discover  when  or  how  it  originated, 
a  notion  who  have  been  ‘appointed’  to  act  as  his  ‘guides,’ 
and  that  these  spirits  are  in  constant  attendance,  keeping 
watch  and  ward  over  him.  Another  version  of  this  idea 
is  presented  by  those  who  claim  that  we  are  each  one  at¬ 
tended  by  good  and  evil  spirits  who  continually  contend 
for  mastery,  and  make  us  the  battle-ground  of  their  con¬ 
flict,  tempting  us  with  every  art  and  wile  of  evil,  and  allur¬ 
ing  us  with  every  power  and  stimulus  of  love  to  our  injury 
or  our  liapiness,  and  that,  therefore,  as  we  by  our  actions 
or  desires  give  countenance  or  favor,  leaning  this  way  or 
that,  one  or  the  other  triumphs  in  this  conflict.  Regarded 
as  a  poetic  impersonation  of  the  internal  struggle  which 
transpires  in  our  consciousness,  there  is  something  sug¬ 
gestive  in  this  pretty  way  of  representing  the  fact  that  we 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


163 


are  not  left  entirely  unaided  to  fight  the  battle  of  the 
spirit,  and  that  in  our  hour  of  need,  when  we  truly  desire 
them,  there  ax-e  loving  hearts  and  willing  helpers  on  the 
other  side  who  will  respond  to  the  soul’s  cry  for  help.  But 
when  it  is  iiteralized  and  localized,  and  the  figure  of  speech 
is  mistaken  for  fact;  when  certain  spirits  are  supposed  to 
he  appointed  to  the  life-long  task  of  being  our  second  selves 
on  the  spirtiual  plane  and  following  us  like  spiritual  Paul 
Pry’s,  then  the  poetry  loses  its  prettiness,  and  the  miscon¬ 
strued  ‘figure’  becomes  a  falsehood. 

Because  in  specific  eases  and  for  a  special  work  certain 
spirits  may  have  co-operated,  and  selected  a  sensitive 
through  whose  agency  they  have  endeavored  to  carry  out 
their  plans,  and  teach  definite  truths,  or  produce  striking 
phenomena,  that  fact  does  not  justify  the  supposition  that 
every  person  who  is  mediumistic  is  chosen  by  a  ‘band  of 
guides7  who  have  no  other  occupation  in  life  but  to  be  in 
constant  attendance  upon  him,  as  some  people  imagine; 
and  not  imtil  you  have  received  clear  demonstrations  of 
the  fact  should  you  admit,  even  to  yourself,  that  you  have 
‘guides’  who  desirable  to  use  you  for  a  particular  end. 

So  many  people  with  a  ‘mission/  so  many  modern 
‘Messiahs’  have  sprung  up,  that  you  should  be  chary  of 
giving  credence  to  statements  that  you  are  to  become  a 
‘great  medium,’  that  you  will  have  a  ‘remarkable  career,’ 
that  through  you  a  ‘new  reformation’  will  be  effected,  etc., 
and  so  forth.  Be  content  to  take  shoi’t  views  and  keep  a 
level  head.  Hold  your  judgment  in  suspense  if  necessary; 
modestly  go  your  way  and  do  the  work  of  the  hour,  for, 
as  the  old  adage  has  it,  ‘the  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the 
eating,’  and  the  proof  of  the  accuracy  of  these  and  similar 
assertions  will  be  (can  only  be)  ascertained  by  the  course 
of  events;  and  it  behooves  you  to  walk  circumspectly  and 
maintain  a  rational  attitude,  remembering  that  ‘Rome  was 
not  built  in  a  day.’ 

‘Heaven  is  not  reached  at  a  single  bound; 

But  we  build  the  ladder  by  which  we  rise 
From  the  lowly  earth  to  the  vaulted  skies, 

And  we  moixnt  to  its  summit  round  by  round.’ 


164 


A  Guide  to  Medium  skip 


IMPERSONATING  MEDIUMS1IIP 

It  is,  however,  very  probable  that  some  spirit  will  con¬ 
trol  you  who  wishes  to  communicate  with  a  friend,  and  for 
that  purpose  he  may  find  it  necessary  to  cause  you  to  im¬ 
personate  himself.  It  seems  to  be  a  general  law  governing 
these  manifestations,  that  when  a  spirit  relates  himself  to 
the  psychic  conditions  of  the  earth  and  takes  control  of  a 
sensitive  for  the  first  time,  he  is  compelled  to  re-enact  his 
dying  experiences,  and  mediums,  present  a  pantomimic  re¬ 
production  of  the  causes  of  death  and  the  accompanying 
symptoms  which  vividly  recall  to  the  observers  the  last  sad 
and  solemn  incidents  connected  with  the  ‘passing’  of  their 
dear  ones.  Not  infrequently  the  medium  reproduces  in  a 
most  characteristic  way,  movements,  modes  of  breathing 
or  coughing,  gestures,  ejaculations,  and  even  utters  the 
few  ‘last  words’  that  were  breathed  by  the  dying  one. 
You  may  (and  most  probably  will)  be  compelled  to  do  this 
sort  of  thing.  You  may  be  partially,  or  even  acutely,  con¬ 
scious  of  what  you  are  doing  or  saying,  and  may  feel 
afraid  to  yield  to  the  impulse,  or  shrink  from  conforming 
to  the  desire  that  urges  you  on  to  speak — perhaps  to  cry, 
to  pour  out  endearing  words,  to  say  or  do  things  the 
significance  of  which  you  do  not  comprehend.  Our  advice 
under  such  circumstances  can  only  be  this :  Keep  as  calm 
and  as  collected  as  you  can ;  txmst  to  the  sincerity  of  the 
spirit  and  the  good  sense  of  the  sitters,  and  throw  off  your 
fear ;  yield  obedience  to  the  control ;  neither  help  nor  hin¬ 
der;  just  do  and  say  what  you  feel  you  have  to  do  or  say, 
and  leave  the  results.  You  cannot,  or  should  not,  be  held 
responsible  for  failure  by  the  sitters,  if  there  is  no  recogni¬ 
tion  ;  and  by  responding  and  giving  free  course  to  the  ‘sug¬ 
gestion,’  which  reaches  you  as  an  impulse  or  mental  im¬ 
pression,  greater  success  will  follow,  and  the  development 
you  seek  will  be  promoted.  If,  however,  you  find  that  the 
impersonations  are  untrue,  and  the  sitters  are  unable  to 
interpret  or  recognize  what  you  do  or  say  after  you  have 
followed  out  your  impressions  a  number  of  times,  then 
resist  them  with  all  your  strength  of  will  and  require  from 
the  spirit  the  proof  of  his  identity  in  some  other  way. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


165 


Spirits  often  desire  to  communicate  some  special  in¬ 
formation  or  confess  some  wrong,  and  are  relieved  by  suc¬ 
cessfully  performing  the  task.  In  such  cases,  says  Hudson 
Tuttle,  they  take  on  the  conditions  of  the  medium,  and  by 
the  association,  the  last  experiences  of  their  earth  life.  ‘It 
is  difficult,  perhaps  impossible,  for  a  spirit  passing  from 
earth  life  by  a  violent  and  painful  death  not  to  have  the 
sensations  of  its  last  earthly  experience  revived  in  itself  and 
reflected  upon  the  medium  when  it  thus  comes  in  direct 
relation  with  the  earth  sphere.  This  is,  however,  quite 
distinct  from  that  form  of  impersonation  in  which  the  me¬ 
dium  is  caused  to  imitate  the  death  scene  as  a  test  of 
identity.  One  is  under  the  direct  control  of  the  spirit,  and 
in  the  other  case  the  spirit  is  controlled  by  the  preceding 
conditions.’  Addressing  a  class  of  students  in  San  Fran¬ 
cisco,  Mr.  J.  J.  Morse,  in  the  trance  condition,  said:  ‘This 
form  of  mediumship  (impersonation)  is  the  most  valuable 
that  the  world  can  possibly  have  today.’  .  .  ‘When  by 

the  aid  of  the  impersonating  medium  (the  inquirer)  is 
enabled  to  see  his  beloved  friends,  and  they  make  them¬ 
selves  actual  and  visible  in  the  personality  of  the  medium, 
plain  to  consciousness  and  understanding,  and  tell  him  spe¬ 
cifically  points  and  facts  of  identity  and  experience  that 
were  utterly  beyond  the  power  of  any  other  intelligence  to 
tell,  then  he  has  something  borne  in  upon  him  through  the 
senses  of  sight,  of  hearing  and  understanding  that  appeals 
to  him,  .  .  therefore  the  personating  medium  is  the 

most  valuable  medium  you  can  present  to  inquirers.’* 

In  illustration  of  the  naturalness  and  convincing  char¬ 
acter  of  this  phase  of  mediumship,  we  quote  some  of  the 
experiences  narrated  by  Mr.  A.  Smedley,  in  his  ‘Reminis¬ 
cences.’  The  medium,  Mrs.  Hitchcock,  was  a  friend  of 
ours,  a  thoroughly  sincere  and  trustworthy,  high-principled 
woman.  Mr.  Smedley  attended  one  of  her  seances,  and 
was  very  much  surprised  at  -what  took  place.  On  inform¬ 
ing  his  wife  of  what  had  occurred,  she  expressed  a  desire 
to  invite  Mrs.  Hitchcock  to  hold  a  seance  in  their  own 
home.  The  invitation  was  given,  and  it  was  accepted  by 


*  ‘Practical  Occultism.’ 


166 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


the  medium,  who  was  at  that  time  a  perfect  stranger  to 
both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smedley,  who  also  invited  a  number 
of  their  friends.  The  meeting  was  opened  with  a  hymn 
and  prayer.  After  a  second  hymn  had  been  sung,  Mrs. 
Hitchcock  passed  under  influence,  and  for  a  short  time 
seemed  dazed  and  unable  to  speak.  Mr.  Smedley  says: 
‘She  then  passed  under  the  control  of  an  intelligent  being, 
opened  her  eyes,  and  manifested  the  greatest  amazement. 

‘After  looking  round  the  room  very  deliberately  at 
various  objects,  then  at  one  person  after  another,  and 
fixing  her  eyes  on  my  wife,  she  ran  across  the  room,  and 
throwing  her  arms  around  her  neck,  kissed  her  most  affec¬ 
tionately,  addressing  her  as  “My  dear  sister.” 

‘After  speaking  with  her  in  endearing  terms  she  came 
across  the  room  to  me,  and  placing  her  right  hand  on  my 
shoulder,  said:  “Well  my  good  brother.”  (This  was  ex¬ 
actly  as  a  deceased  sister  of  my  wife’s  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  doing.)  “How  unspeakably  glad  I  am  for  such 
a  privilege  as  this !  When  avc  used  to  sit  on  the  hearth  at 
night,  conversing  on  various  topics  that  used  to  interest 
us  so  much,  we  little  expected  we  should  ever  have  such 
a  privilege.  You  know  we  used  to  sit  up  at  night  discuss¬ 
ing  theological  questions  till  the  embers  in  the  grate  died 
out,  and  sometimes  a  chiding  voice  from  upstairs  called  out : 
‘Alfred,  Alfred,  do  come  to  bed.  Do  you  know  what  time 
it  is?  You  know  Charlotte  is  not  fit  to  sit  up  so  late.’  ” 
This  was  precisely  wdiat  had  taken  place,  the  exact  words 
being  used. 

‘She  referred  to  a  number  of  incidents  known  only  to 
her  and  ourselves.  She  asked  for  an  album  in  which  she 
had  written  the  dedication,  pointing  this  out,  and  also 
various  pieces  of  poetry  she  had  written  in  it. 

‘She  asked  for  a  hymn  book  and  desired  us  to  sing  what 
had  been  her  favorite  hymn,  which  at  my  request  she  in¬ 
stantly  found.  She  next  asked  for  a  Bible,  and  asked  me 
to  read  her  favorite  psalm.  I  requested  her  to  find  it, 
although  I  knew  well  which  it  was.  She  turned  to  it  in¬ 
stantly,  and  I  read:  “The  Lord  is  my  shepherd.”  etc. 

‘When  the  psalm  was  finished,  the  medium  stood  trans¬ 
figured  before  us;  her  countenance  was  radiant,  and  her 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


167 


eyes  bright,  with  a  heavenly  light.  Turning  to  my  wife, 
she  said,  “Sister  dear,  by  inviting  strangers  to  your  house 
tonight  you  have  entertained  angels  unawares!” 

‘After  the  meeting  the  medium  remarked:  “When  un¬ 
der  control  I  was  strongly  influenced  to  look  round  for  a 
picture,  but  could  not  find  it.  I  do  not  know  what  it  meant, 
but  the  control  was  anxious  to  find  a  picture.” 

‘My  wife  replied:  “My  sister  painted  a  picture  of  the 
Savior  bearing  His  cross,  many  years  ago,  and  it  now 
hangs  in  our  dining-room.” 

‘The  above  incidents,  combined  with  her  mannerisms, 
and  bearing  in  mind  that  the  medium  was  an  entire 
stranger  to  us,  and  uneducated,  were  sufficient  evidence  of 
the  presence  and  influence  of  her  deceased  sister  to  cause 
my  wife  to  explain,  “Of  a  truth,  that  was  my  sister  Char¬ 
lotte.”  ’ 

The  foregoing  is  an  interesting  glimpse  of  the  kind  of 
mediumship  which  carries  conviction  of  the  ‘real  pres¬ 
ence’  of  the  so-called  dead,  and  your  aim  should  be  to  get 
into  communication  with  the  intelligent  operator  at  the 
other  end  of  the  line,  and  elicit  from  him  evidences  of  his 
identity  and  purpose.  Table  movements,  raps,  material¬ 
izations,  writings,  messages,  or  controls,  are  of  compara¬ 
tively  little  value  unless  by  their  agency  you  can  secure 
proofs  of  the  personal  identity  and  survival  after  death 
of  your  departed  friends,  or  some  indication  of  a  rational 
purpose  on  the  part  of  the  operator. 

PSYCHOMETRY  AND  CLAIRVOYANCE. 

If  you  have  good  vital  magnetism  and  are  sufficiently 
sensitive,  spirits  may  put  you  into  the  unconscious — or  at 
least  into  the  semi-conscious — trance  state,  and  cause  you 
to  become  clairvoyant  or  psychometrical  while  under  their 
control.  They  may,  through  you,  diagnose  the  diseases  of 
and  cause  _you  to  lay  hands  upon,  and  heal,  the  sick.  You 
may  assist  them  in  their  efforts  by  maintaining  your  own 
health  and  observing  the  conditions  which  they  recom¬ 
mend,  and  which  experience  shows  are  conducive  to  suc¬ 
cess.  While  yon  co-operate  with  them  thus  to  secure  the 


168 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


fullest  possible  unfoldment  of  your  psychic  nature,  the 
reactive  benefits  which 'will  accrue  to  yourself  as  the  result 
of  their  efforts  will  be  very  marked,  especially  so  if  you 
assist  them  by  making  experiments  for  normal  self-cultiva¬ 
tion,  in  which,  you  may  rest  assured,  you  will  not  be  left 
unaided,  and  will  begin  to  find  that  you  can  consciously 
do  some  of  the  things  which  were  formerly  only  possible 
when  you  were  under  control.  The  spirits  will  help  in  your 
experiments  if  they  are  wise,  because  such  self-culture  on 
your  part  will  promote  the  success  of  the  work.  If  you 
take  one  step  on  the  road  they  will  be  able  to  help  you  to 
take  the  second  much  more  easily  than  they  could  maize 
you  take  the  first  if  you  were  indifferent. 

It  is  necessary  to  remember  that  mental  mediumship 
depends  upon  the  degree  of  susceptibility  and  responsive¬ 
ness,  conscious  or  unconscious,  on  the  part  of  the  medium 
to  the  impressions,  suggestions,  pictures,  thoughts,  sensa¬ 
tions,  and  impulses,  which  may  reach  and  affect  him  from 
various  sources — from  incarnate  or  excarnate  Intelligences. 
This  fact  makes  it  difficult  to  classify  the  experiences  of 
the  recipient;  and  as  all  psychic  sensations  seem  to  be 
merged  in  the  one  grand  sense — perception— it  is  hard  to 
differentiate  them  and  say  just  what  is  psychometry,  clair¬ 
voyance,  elairaudience,  impression,  mental  picture, 
thought-transference,  intuition,  or  sympathetic  response 
to  the  feelings  and  ideas  of  others  in,  or  out,  of  the  body. 
'But  it  will  be  unwise  for  you  to  be  too  analytical,  especially 
in  .your  initial  experiences.  The  first  requisite  is  to  de¬ 
velop  your  sensibility  to  the  psychic  conditions,  auras, 
ethers,  vibrations ;  classification  may  be  attempted  after¬ 
wards;  but  if  you  pause  to  analyze  every  sensation  or  im¬ 
pulse  to  determine  if  it  is  your  own  or  someone  else’s,  you 
will  not  make  much  progress, 

Suppose  you  wish  to  become  a  psych ometrist  and  to  in¬ 
terpret  the  soul-sensations  which  you  experience;  you  can 
easily  make  some  interesting  experiments  if  you  ask  your 
friends  to  lend  you  something  belonging  to,  or  a  letter 
written  by,  a  person  you  do  not  know.  If  a  number  of 
articles  are  offered  you,  do  not  let  them  be  touched  by 
others,  and  keep  them  separate.  Take  one  article  at  a  time 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


169 


to  experiment  with :  hold  it  in  your  hand  or  press  it  to 
your  forehead,  and  try  to  get  some  idea  of  the  sort  of  per¬ 
son  who  owns  it ;  describe  what  you  think  he  is  like ;  ex¬ 
plain  any  sensations  that  come  to  you  which  you  think  may 
indicate  his  state  of  mind,  bodily  condition,  general  char¬ 
acter,  spiritual  surroundings,  past  experiences,  present 
situation,  feelings,  and  prospects.  You  will  need  to  be 
spontaneous;  do  not  wait  to  receive  a  very  decided  im¬ 
pression.  ‘First  thoughts  are  best,’  as  a  rule,  in  experi¬ 
ments  of  this  nature ;  therefore  speak  out  at  once  and  de¬ 
scribe  your  feelings  fearlessly,  and  run  the  risk  of  being 
mistaken. 

We  are  as  yet  but  groping  on  the  borders  of  the  won¬ 
derful  spirit-realm,  seeking  the  clue  that  will  lead  us  to 
the  true  interpretation  of  the  subtile  interior  cognitions 
by  which  sensitives  perceive  spiritual  states  and  things; 
hence,  if  you  get  a  ‘mental  picture,’  or  seem  to  see  an  ap¬ 
pearance,  whether  it  is  subjective  or  objective — an  image, 
picture,  thought-form,  or  a  spirit — whatever  it  may  be, 
it  will  help  you  if  you  describe  what  you  see,  or  think  you 
see,  as  fully  and  as  clearly  as  possible.  But  if  you  are  too 
timid  to  speak  and  are  afraid  to  risk  a  rebuff,  neither  you 
nor  others  will  be  benefited;  remember,  ‘Nothing  venture, 
nothing  win.’ 

To  assist  in  focussing  your  attention  and  concentrating 
your  psychic  power  for  the  cultivation  of  clairvoyance, 
you  should  take  a  clear  glass  tumbler,  fill  it  with  clean 
water  and  place  it  upon  a  stand  or  table  over  which  a 
plain  dark  cloth  has  been  spread,  in  such  a  position  that 
it  will  not  reflect  any  of  the  surrounding  objects.  It  may 
be  advisable  to  put  up  a  screen  (a  folding  draught-board 
will  answer  admirably  if  draped  with  black),  so  as  to  get 
the  glass  in  the  shadow  and  protect  it  from  the  direct  rays 
of  light.  Then  seat  yourself  so  that  you  can  gaze  easily 
upon  the  glass  or  down  into  the  water.  Now  look  steadily 
at  it — not  so  as  to  strain  your  eyes,  but  with  sufficient  in¬ 
tentness  to  fix  your  attention,  and  mentally  ask  the  spirits 
to  show  you  something  or  to  reveal  themselves.  About  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  will  at  first  be  sufficient  for  this  experi¬ 
ment,  and  the  time  may  be  lengthened  as  you  become  ac- 


170 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


customed  to  the  effects  of  the  effort.  If,  after  a  dozen  sit¬ 
tings,  you  do  not  perceive  figures,  symbols,  faces,  or  writ¬ 
ings  apparently  in  the  water,  it  will  be  as  well  to  discon¬ 
tinue';  but  if  you  are  rewarded  with  some  degree  of  suc¬ 
cess  you  will  no  doubt  feel  inclined  to  persevere.  Some 
•  investigators  sit  alone  in  a  semi-darkened  room,  and  with 
closed  eyes,  mentally  desiring  that  their  spirit  friends  will 
show  themselves.  One  lady  we  knew  did  this,  and  was  in¬ 
structed  to  sit  with  her  back  to  the  light,  to  cover  her  head 
with  silk,  and  wait.  She  was  advised  to  either  close  her 
eyes  or  (if  she  could  not  keep  her  mind  passive  without 
feeling  inclined  to  go  to  sleep)  to  gaze  into  a  glass  of  wa¬ 
ter.  She  sat  for  a  number  of  times,  and  began  to  despair 
of  success,  but  finally  felt  the  power  of  spirit  people  and 
became  a  good  ‘  clear-seer.  ’ 

As  so  much  will  depend  upon  your  ability  to  give 
graphic  word-pictures  of  what  you  see,  that  others  may 
recognize  the  spirits  you  describe  to  them,  we  should  ad¬ 
vise  you  to  train  yourself  in  that  direction.  When  you  are 
traveling,  for  instance,  you  should  observe  closely  the  ap¬ 
pearance  and  personal  characteristics  of  your  fellow  trav¬ 
elers,  and  then  think  out  how  you  would  describe  them  to 
others  so  as  to  convey  mental  pictures  which  would  lead 
to  their  recognition.  Any  little  peculiarity  of  appearance, 
dress,  gesture,  or  speech  should  be  especially  noticed.  Sim¬ 
ilar  exercises  in  regard  to  places  would  also  be  serviceable 
in  cultivating  the  powers  of  observation  and  clear  descrip¬ 
tion  which  are  so  necessary  for  success  in  giving  psy¬ 
chometric  and  clairvoyant  delineations,  especially  so  in 
public  meetings. 

CLAIRAUDIEN  CE. 

The  faculty  of  clairaudience  is  frequently  developed 
-with  that  hT  clairvoyance)  ~Soine~cIairaud i en t  persons  dis¬ 
tinctly  hear  the  voices  of  spirits  as  though  they  were  ex¬ 
ternal,  while  others  hear  in  a  more  interior  fashion,  as 
though  the  ‘still  small  voice,’  not  of  conscience,  but  of  a 
spirit  visitant,  was  heard  by  the  mind.  Some  ‘ voices* 
sound  as  if  they  were. muffled,:  or  as  if  they  came  from  a 
long  distance  or  through  an  elongated  tube,  In  other  cases 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


171 


they  sound  sharp  and  clear,  but  the  words  are  spoken  sn 
rapidly  that  they  can  hardly  be  distinguished ;  or  the  ut¬ 
terances  may  be  slow  and  measured,  as  though  each  word 
had  to  be  forced  out. 

Andrew  Jackson  Davis  says •  ‘When  spirits  speak  to 
us  they  address  our  interior  and  spiritual  sense  of  hearing, 
and  when  we  behold  spirits  we  exercise  the  internal  prin- 
ciple"of  perception  or  seeing.  It  not  infrequently  occurs 
fTTafTah  individual  thinks  his  outward  senses  addressed 
when,  like  Saul,  he  hears  a  voice  pronouncing  his  name, 
apparently,  from  the  depths  of  the  air:  and  when  spirits 
have  been  seen,  the  beholder  is  apt  to  believe  that  the  vision 
was  confined  or  addressed  to  the  outward  sense  of  seeing, 
so  distinct  and  selfevident  is  a  real  manifestation  of  spir¬ 
itual  presence.  .  .  To  the  healthy  and  discriminating 

mind  there  is  no  confounding  of  a  substantial  vision  of  su¬ 
permundane  personages  and  scenery  with  the  dreamy  hal¬ 
lucinations  of  the  disturbed  intellect.  When  the  interior 
senses  of  the  mind  distinctly  see  a  spirit,  or  hear  its  serene. 
rich,  friendly  tones,  it  is  impossible  for  the  thus  favored 
individual  to  be  mistaken.  If,  however,  as  it  sometimes 
happens,  we  get  only  an  imperfect  glimpse  of  some  guard¬ 
ian  spirit  who  seeks  our  recognition  and  welfare — and  if 
we  cannot  be  absolutely  certain  and  honest  in  our  convic¬ 
tions  of  that  angel  presence,  and  have  not  a  perfect  assur¬ 
ance  that  the  vision  was  no  illusion — then  it  is  wisdom  to 
keep  our  understandings  open  to  the  reception  of  more 
substantial  evidence,  to  the  end  that  the  mind  may  not  be 
conducted  into  regions  of  uncertain  hypothesis  and  imag¬ 
ination.’  * 

Spiritual  association  arouses  and  quickens  dormant 
sensitiveness,  and,  indeed,  some  mediums  are  only  clair- 
sudient  while  the  spirit  people  assist  or  control  them.  Tt 
is  as  though  they  are  lifted  out  from  their  ordinary  con¬ 
dition  while  under  spirit  influence,  and  grow  keen  in  their 
ability  to  catch  and  convey  the  utterances  of  the  spirits. 

The  great  requisites  for  the  development  of  this  phase 
of  modiumship  are  attention,  concentration,  desire,  listen- 

*  A.  .7.  Davis.  ‘Philosophy  of  Spiritual  Intercourse.’ 


172 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


jug,  and  response.  The  inward  hearing  can  be  cultivated 
by  training  one’s  self  to  be  on  the  alert  to  catch  the  echoes 
from  the  spheres.  We  are  frequently  ‘absent-minded’  and 
do  not  realize  what  is  being  said  around  us.  We  are  too 
often  inattentive  to  the  sights  and  sounds  as  we  go  through 
life,  even  upon  the  ordinary  plane,  and  there  need  be  no 
wonder  that  we  are  blind  and  deaf  to  our  spirit  surround¬ 
ings. 

HEALING  MEDIUMSHIP. 

If  you  have  an  idea  that  you  possess  healing  power  you 
can  easily  experiment  upon  your  suffering  friends  or  ac¬ 
quaintances.  If  you  are  mediumistic,  and  spirits  desire 
to  develop  you  for  this  work,  you  will  readily  feel  that, 
you  are  impressed  what  to  do.  Your  hands  will  be  guided 
to  the  proper  position,  and  you  will  spontaneously  make 
the  requisite  passes.  Magnetic  healing  has  really  nothing  to 
do  with  massage,  the  induction  of  sleep,  or  with  any  form  of 
hypnotism  of  mesmerism.  The  healing  medium  should 
centre  his  thought  and  interest  solely  and  wholly  with  the 
object  of  effecting  a  cure.  You  will  need  to  be  sympa¬ 
thetic,  but  hopeful.  Do  not  let  your  patient  think  about 
his  ailments,  but  arouse  his  thought  and  engage  his  atten¬ 
tion  upon  some  outside  subject.  Make  him  comfortable, 
and  lead  him  to  expect  good  results;  to  do  this  you  must 
be  affirmative  and  confident.  Unless  you  feel  impressed, 
or  are  controlled,  to  do  otherwise,  sit  in  front  and  take 
hold  of  the  hands  of  the  sufferer  for  a  time,  then  make 
gentle,  short,  downward  passes  over  the  part  affected,  and 
conclude  with  long,  sweeping  passes  from  head  to  foot 
without  contact.  For  local  affections,  point  your  hands 
at  or  just  touch  the  spot  with  your  finger  tips,  or  make 
direct  horizontal  or  slightly  downward  movements,  as  if 
you  were  throwing  something  at  him.  A  warm,  comfort¬ 
able  room  is  favorable  to  magnetizing,  and  a  genial  mental 
atmosphere,  created  by  cheerful  and  kindly  minds  in  the 
operator  and  persons  present,  will  contribute  largely  to  the 
success  of  the  treatment.  You  will  do  well  to  act  upon 
your  impressions  and  make  the  passes  in  whatever  way 
you  feel  impelled  or  compelled.  If  you  operate  under 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


173 


spirit  guidance  you  will  be  ‘impressed’  more  or  less  clearly 
how  to  proceed  in  each  ease.  In  all  probability  you  will 
sympathetically  Ttake  on,’  and  be  affected  by,  the  symp¬ 
toms  of  the  disease  from  which  the  patient  suffers,  and  in 
that  way  be  able  to  form  an  accurate  diagnosis  of  the  ease ; 
but  you  must  guard  against  exhaustion,  and  should  always 
‘throw  off’  from  yourself  the  influence  that  you  may  have 
received,  and  wash  your  hands  carefully  after  each  treat¬ 
ment.  Mr.  James  Coates,  in  his  useful  work  on  ‘Human 
Magnetism,’  says:  ‘In  magnetic  healing — as  distinguished 
from  cures  in  which  “suggestion”  is  the  main  factor — the 
‘Having-on  of  hands”  is  a  special  feature  of  the  treatment. 

The  psychopathist  lays  on  hands  because  he  believes 
that  beyond  the  conditions  of  health-magnetism  furnished 
by  himself  he  is  a  conduit  through  whom  a  spirit  or  a 
“band  of  spirits”  pour  healing  virtues.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  attitude  of  mind  in  all  these  methods  of  cure,  based 
upon  sincere  conviction,  is  a  powerful  healing  °gent.’ 

WRITING  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Your  hands  may  be  caused  to  shake  and  move  about 
as  if  you  desired  to  write.  You  may  be  quite  conscious, 
or  only  semi-conscious,  but  you  will  feel  you  are  unable 
to  prevent  the  movements.  In  such  a  case  the  sitters  should 
provide  paper  and  pencils  and  await  results.  They  should 
speak  to  the  control  and  request  him  to  work  quietly,  and 
in  all  probability  the  rapid  preliminary  scrawls  will  soon 
give  place  to  slower  and  more  legible  writing. 

Many  persons  have  developed  as  ‘automatic  writers,’ 
who  have  never  sat  in  a  circle  and  without  being  entranced. 
We  should  advise  you,  if  you  decide  to  sit  alone  and  make 
experiments  in  this  direction,  to  avoid  excitement,  expect¬ 
ancy  and  preconceptions.  Proceed  as  though  you  were 
speaking  to  a  visible  friend,  and  request  that  someone  will 
move  your  hand  to  write.  Provide  yourself  with  a  writing 
bad  or  several  sheets  of  paper,  and.  while  holding  a  pencil 
in  readiness,  withdraw  your  thoughts  from  your  hand  and 
arm  and  assume  a  passive  condition.  If  you  are  strongly 
mediumistic,  words  and  sentences  may  be  written,  but  you 
need  hardly  expect  such  results  at  first. 


374 


4  Guide  to  Mediumship 


Mr.  AY.  T.  Stead  says:  ‘I  bold  my  pen  in  the  ordinary 
way.  but  when  the  writing  is  beginning  I  do  not  rest  my 
wrist  or  arm  upon  the  paper,  so  as  to  avoid  the  friction 
Snd  to  give  the  influence,  whatever  it  may  be,  more  com¬ 
plete  control  of  the  pen.  At  first  the  pen  is  apt  to  wander 
into  mere  scrawling,  but  after  a  time  it  writes  legibly. 
Unlike  many  automatic  writers  who  write  as  well  blind¬ 
folded  as  when  they  read  what  they  write  as  they  are  writ¬ 
ing  it,  I  can  never  write  so  well  as  when  I  see  the  words 
as  they  come.  There  is  danger  in  this,  which  is  most  clear¬ 
ly  illustrated  when  my  hand  writes  verse — especially 
rhymed  verse — for  the  last  word  in  each  line  suggests  to 
my  conscious  mind  a  possible  rhyme  for  the  ending  of  the 
following  line;  this  rouses  up  my  mind,  mv  own  ideas  get 
mixed  with  those  of  the  communicating  Intelligence,  and 
confusion  is  the  result.’ 

Inspirational  or  ‘ impressional’  writing  is  frequently 
mistaken  for  that  which  is  more  purely  passive  or  ‘auto¬ 
matic.’  The  sensitive  experiences  a  strong  impulse  to 
write,  but  does  not  receive  any  clear  or  consecutive  train 
of  thought.  He  sets  down  one  word,  and  then  others  fol¬ 
low  as  fast  as  he  can  indite  them,  but  he  must  begin  to 
write  before  the  complete  sentence  is  given  to  him.  In 
other  cases  the  thoughts  Aoav  into  his  consciousness  faster 
than  his  pen  can  record  them;  but  in  the  truly  ‘automatic’ 
form  of  communication  the  mind  of  the  sensitive  is  not 
consciously  affected.  He  can  read  and  think  about  other 
and  entirely  different  subjects,  and  need  take  no  more  in¬ 
terest  in  the  work  than  he  would  if  his  hand  did  not  belong 
to  him,  or  than  if  a  spirit  laid  hold  of  and  guided  the  pen¬ 
cil.  Some  mediums  who  write  automatically  have  to  be 
mentally  quiet;  they  find  that  if  the  mind  is  preoccupied 
the  hand  will  not  write,  although,  even  in  such  cases,  it 
frequently  happens  that  the  amanuensis  is  ignorant  of  the 
communication  until  he  reads  it  afterwards. 

Mr.  J.  A.  White,  an  intelligent  trance  and  clairvoyant 
medium,  says:  ‘There  is  a  great  tendency,  particularly  in 
cases  of  automatic  writing,  to  do  too  much  of  it.  No 
sooner  do  some  people  find  that  the  pencil  will  move  than 
they  spend  all  their  spare  time  in  this  fascinating  pursuit, 


A  Guide  to  Mediumskip 


175 


which,  in  their  undeveloped  state,  I  believe  to  be  a  dan¬ 
gerous  and  unwise  practice.  They  are  apt  to  exclaim, 
when  any  question  arises  during  the  day:  “Let  us  see 
what  the  spirits  have  to  say.”  This,  carried  to  extremes 
leads  to  one  thing,  and  one  thing  only — obsession.  I  be¬ 
lieve  in  fixing  a  time,  and,  unless  in  exceptional  cases,  re¬ 
fusing  to~sit  at  any  other.  Of  course  I  am  speaking  of 
mediumship  while  it  is  in  the  budding  stage.  A  developed 
medium  can  judge  for  himself,  and  knows  from  experience 
how  far  to  go.  It  is  a  favorite  trick  of  a  certain  class  of 
spirits  when  they  find  they  have  a  sensitive  who  can  “feel” 
them,  to  give  them  that  pricking  sensation  in  the  arm 
which  denotes  their  presence.  “So-and-so  want  to  write,” 
and  away  rushes  the  medium  for  the  pencil,  and  sits  down. 
This  1  do  not  believe  in.  I  have  seen  far  more  harm  than 
good  come  from  it.  The  proper  way  to  develop,  in  my 
opinion,  is  to  sit  at  home  in  a  small,  carefully-selected 
circle,  two  or  three  times  a  week,  at  staled  hours,  and  with 
a  competent  conductor  who  knows  what  he  is  doing.’ 

A  French  writer  in  ‘Les  Grands  Horizons  de  la  Vie’ 
emphasizes  the  same  point:  lie  says:  “We  urge  beginners 
in  their  own  interest  not  to  take  up  the  pencil  (i.  e.,  for 
automatic  writing)  or  to  sit  at  a  table  (for  eommunica- 
tions)  at  any  free  moment,  without  rhyme  or  reason,  for 
disorder  in  experiment  is  one  of  the  first  and  most  serious 
dangers  to  be  avoided.  An  absolutely  strict  rule  should 
be  made  not  to  attempt  the  effort  more  than  once  ever}' 
other  day.’ 

The  communications  that  are  received  by  the  various 
forms  of  passive,  impressional,  automatic,  and  inspira¬ 
tional  writing  must  not  be  regarded  as  valuable  merely 
because  of  the  conditions  under  which  they  were  obtained, 
nor  because  of  their  spirit  origin,  real  or  supposed. 

‘Under  all  circumstances  receive  with  the  utmost  re¬ 
serve  and  caution  long-winded  communications  from  not¬ 
able  characters  who  claim  to  be  “Napoleon  Bonaparte,” 
“Lord  Bacon,”  “Socrates,”  or  other  great  personages; 
for,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  the  value  of  the  communica¬ 
tion  is  exactly  the  reverse  of  the  importance  of  the  name 


17f> 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumsh ip 

attached.’ *  This  applies  to  automatic  writings  quite  as 
much  as  to  spoken  messages.  Judge  the  statements  made 
by  the  ordinary  standards,  apart  altogether  from  their 
claimed  exalted  origin ;  if  rational,  beautiful,  and  spirit¬ 
ually  helpful  and  enlightening,  they  are  worth  having  on 
their  own  merits ;  but  if  they  are  unreasonable,  wild  and 
dogmatic,  or  pretentious  and  flattering,  they  should  be  dis¬ 
carded;  and,  unless  they  change  their  character  after  re¬ 
peated  experiments,  your  attention  should  be  turned  in 
some  other  direction. 

PLANCHETTE  AND  OUIJA  BOARDS. 

To  assist  in  the  development  of  latent  capabilities  for 
writing  mediumship,  various  mechanical  devices  have  been 
constructed,  the  most  popular  of  these  being  the  Plan- 
chette,  a  heart-shaped  little  board  which  has  two  legs,  with 
wheels  at  the  end,  attached  to  the  broader  part.  Near  the 
pointed  end  is  a  hole,  into  which  a  piece  of  pencil  is  in¬ 
serted.  A  large  sheet  of  paper  having  been  spread  upon 
the  table,  the  sitter  or  sitters  (two  people  often  use  it)  lay 
their  hands,  or  the  tips  of  their  fingers,  lightly  upon  the 
upper  surface  and  await  results.  If  sitters  are  sufficiently 
mediumistic  the  instrument  will  begin  to  move,  slowly  at 
first,  but  faster  and  more  decidedly  later,  and  probably, 
after  some  preliminary  strokes,  circles,  etc.,  it  will  settle 
down  as  if  guided  by  an  unseen  hand  and  begin  to  write. 
Sitters  need  to  be  patient.  They  may  have  to  wait  some 
time — even  to  try,  try,  try  again.  If  it  will  not  move  for 
one  person  it  will  probably  do  so  for  another.  When  it 
does  move  do  not  be  too  hasty  in  asking  questions — do  not 
expect  to  get  tests  right  away.  Some  people  feel  that  the 
Planehette  moves  of  itself,  so  to  speak,  as  if  if  were  alive; 
with  others  the  impulse  to  movement  seems  to  be  given 
as  from  their  arms.  Sitters  occasionally  do  not  know  what 
has  been  written  until  the  Planehette  is  removed  and  the 
writing  deciphered  ;  others  get  the  thought  of  what  is  about 
to  be  written  simultaneously  with  the  movements.  Scarce¬ 
ly  two  mediums  have  exactly  the  same  experiences,  there- 

*  ‘Practical  Occultism,’  by  J.  J.  Morse. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


177 


fore  experiment,  wait,  persevere,  until  you  get  into  clear 
communication  with  Intelligences  who  have  gained  pretty 
full  control  of  the  instrument,  and  are  able  to  give  you  sat¬ 
isfactory  messages.  The  Planchette  may  be  used  as  a  ‘  Ouija’ 
by  laying  down  a  sheet  oF  paper  upon  which  the  letters  of 
Ehe  alphabet  have  been  written  or  printed  in  a  fairly  large 
semicircle,  the  words  ‘yes’  or  ‘no’  being  written  at  either 
end,  and  figures  from  1  to  9  written  straight  across  a  little 
lower  down.  Now  remove  the  pencil  and  insert  a  small 
moderately  sharpened  stick  as  a  pointer  and  the  Planchette 
may  run  about,  point  to  letters  or  number,  answer  your 
questions  by  standing  at  ‘yes’  or  ‘no,’  or  messages  may  be 
spelt  out  as  you  watch  its  movements. 

These  mechanical  contrivances  may  be  helpful  to  some 
people  under  certain  conditions,  but  as  a  rule,  anyone  who 
has  the  gift  of  writing  mediumship  will  do  equally  as  well, 
andin  time  far  better,  if  he  will  pvt  a  blank  sheet  of  paper 
before  him,  hold  a  pencil  in  his  hand,  and  wait — either  for 
‘automatic’  or  impressional  writing.  Any  medium,  in  whose 
presence  tables  move  or  raps  occur,  will  be  most  likely  to 
succeed  with  the  above-named  ‘boards.’  No  one  can  ‘guar¬ 
antee 7  th  at  They  will  move  with  everyone  who  experiments 
with  them,  or  promise  that  intelligent  results  will  be  imme¬ 
diately  secured. 


DRAWING  MEDIUMSHIP. 

Many  people  who  have  sought  development  for  passive 
writing  have  found  that  their  hands  have  moved  in  a  seem¬ 
ingly  erratic  fashion,  and  curious  drawings  have  resulted. 
Some  of  these  have  been  beautiful,  some  symbolical,  some 
few  were  quite  artistic ;  but  many,  alas !  were  more  curious 
than  sensible  or  beautiful.  Paintings  and  crayon  draw¬ 
ings  have  also  been  produced  in  this  ‘passive’  (or  auto¬ 
matic)  style  by  people  who  have  never  had  any  training 
in  either  drawing  or  painting ;  but  although  the  coloring  has 
sometimes  been  remarkable,  even  fine,  we  have  seldom  seen 
any  that  commended  themselves  on  the  score  of  their  value 
as  artistic  productions.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  we  can  only 
judge  by  the  results,  and  if  mediums  were  to  study  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


m 

rudiments  of  art  they  would  be  more  easily  acted  upon  by 
spirit  artists  to  produce  good  work. 

PRIVATE  OR  PUBLIC  :  WHICH  ? 

If  you  find  that  you  have  good  powers  as  a  medium' 
and  your  development  proceeds  satisfactorily,  you  will 
soon  meet  with  numbers  of  people  who  will  be  glad  to  sit 
with  you,  and  should  you  be  able  to  obtain  for  them  mes¬ 
sages  from  their  spirit  friends  or  give  them  tests,  advice, 
or  guidance,  the  probability  is  that  you  will  have  more 
applications  for  admission  to  your  circle  than  you  can  pos¬ 
sibly  grant.  If  you  develop  as  a  speaker  and  clairvoyant 
you  will  most  probably  be  urged  ‘from  the  other  side’  to 
devote  yourself  to  tlie  cause  and  become  a  public  medium, 
and  thus  the  question  will  be  forced  upon  you  (in  the  first 
ease  by  the  demands  made  upon  your  time  and  strength, 
and  in  the  second  by  the  impelling  power  of  the  spirits) 
whether  you  shall  become  a  public — or  ‘professional’ — me¬ 
dium.  It  is  a  matter  in  respect  to  which  each  one  should 
realize  his  own  responsibility  and  be  ‘fully  persuaded  in 
his  own  mind’  as  to  where  his  duty  lies,  and  not  be  carried 
away  by  injudicious  or  enthusiastic  friends,  or  over-per¬ 
suaded  by  zealous  spirits.  In  any  case,  we  would  warn  you 
to  avoid' hasty  action.  The  life  of  a  public  ‘test’  medium 
is  by  no  means  an  easy  one,  and  only  those  who  have  at¬ 
tained  a  fairly  high  degree  of  lucidity  and  responsiveness, 
together  with  strength  of  will  sufficient  to  protect  them¬ 
selves  against  adverse  surroundings,  are  fit  to  venture  out 
upon  the  stormy  sea,  and  successfully  contend  against  the 
psychic  influences  which  will  of  necessity  assail  them. 

All  mediums  are  more  or  less  in  danger  of  being  dom¬ 
inated  by  their  sitters  unless  they  are  careful  to  hold  them¬ 
selves  wrell  in  hand  and  maintain  a  positive  attitude  to¬ 
wards  those  who  visit  them,  and  therefore  it  is  necessary 
that  you  should  be  watchful  and  avoid  becoming  too  nega¬ 
tive.  We  have  seen  senstives  struggling  to  give  test  de¬ 
scriptions  (both  elairvoyantly  and  psychometrieally)  who 
depended  too  much  upon  the  sympathy  of  their  visitors, 
or  the  harmonious  conditions  of  their  audience.  You  must 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


179 


study  and  practice  until  you  can  resist  the  adverse  in¬ 
fluences  of  your  sitters  and  their  surroundings ;  and,  while- 
receptive  and  responsive  to  the  influences  and  impressions 
from  the  spirits,  becomes  impervious  to  the  inliarmony,  sus¬ 
picion,  sneer  and  sarcasm  of  the  sitters  If  you  are  strong, 
affirmative,  determined,  you  may  succeed ;  but  if  you  are 
negative  to  such  conditions  you  may  not  only  fail,  but  you 
may  respond  to  the  unspoken  ‘suggestions’  from  the  sit¬ 
ters,  and  confirm  them  in  their  skepticism. 

As  a  public  medium  you  will  need  much  patience,  tact, 
and  kindliness.  If  you  are  in  love  with  your  ministrations 
you  can  endure  and  overcome  many  of  the  difficulties  and 
disagreeable  trials  which  are  inseparable  from  public  serv¬ 
ice  to  ‘all  sorts  and  conditions  of  people,’  but  an  impatient 
medium  need  not  anticipate  much  success.  Instead  of  be¬ 
coming  annoyed,  dispirited,  or  angry  because  you  are  un¬ 
able  to  satsify  or  convince  those  to  whom  you  minister,  the 
best  course  is  to  calmly  go  on  and  give  just  what  you  get. 
Do  not  be  afraid  of  making  a  mistake,  and  never  be 
ashamed  to  admit  an  error.  Do  not  try  to  evade  such  an 
admission  or  seek  to  make  your  description  ‘fit,’  or  the 
message  you  have  given  apply,  by  ‘hedging,’  but,  if  you 
can  jiosibly  do  so,  obtain  further  particulars  until  you  se¬ 
cure  recognition. 

To  all  who  aspire  to  be  public  mediums  or  platform 
speakers  we  can  do  no  better  than  quote  the  words  of  Pro- 
fesor  Loveland :  ‘Acting  as  medium  is  not  always  reposing 
on  a  bed  of  roses.  The  roses  may  be  there ;  so  also  are  the 
thorns.  While  humanity  is  as  it  is  there  will  be  the  bitter 
with  the  sweet.  Our  vocation  as  mediums  is  to  put  all  the 
sweet  we  can  into  the  fives  which  come  into  contact  with 
ours;  that  is  the  way  to  change  to  sweetness  the  bitter  in 
our  own.’ 


J80 


A  Guide  to  Mediurnship 


CHAPTER  V T. 

OBSESSIONS:  ITS  CAUSES  AND  CURE. 

There  must  be  some  point  of  contact,  of  sympathetic  vi¬ 
bration  or  harmony  of  spirit,  otherwise  there  cannot  be 
any  permanent  relation  or  association  between  a  spirit  and 
a  sensitive. — B.  G.  E. 

~  Undeveloped  spirits  will  not  be  attracted  to  their  op¬ 
posites.  Anyone  who  thinks  he  is  obssessed  should  pay 
attention  to  himself  first.  If  his  own  spirit  is  in  the  way 
of  righteousness  he  need  have  no  fear.  .  .  . 

The  medium  who  is  unbiased  in  his  own  mind  cannot  be 
led  away  from  right-doing  by  the  influence  of  mortals  or 
spirits  .--Hudson  Tuttle. 

We  have  no  desire  to  dwell  unduly  upon  this  branch  of 
our  subject,  but  is  it  as  necessary  to  point  out  the  pitfalls 
in  the  way  of  the  young  medium  as  it  is  to  guide  him  into 
the  pleasant  paths. 

AVe  have  received  numerous  inquiries  from  beginners 
■who  have  had  strange  and  bewildering  experiences,  and 
who,  misunderstanding  the  nature  of  then’  feelings,  have 
concluded  that  they  are  obsessed.  It  is  quite  evident,  there¬ 
fore,  on  the  principle  that  ‘prevention  is  better  than  cure,’ 
and  that  ‘to  be  forewarned  is  to  be  forearmed,’  that  we 
must  emphasize  the  various  explanations  and  warnings 
that  we  have  already  given  in  these  pages  and  in  Part  I. 
‘Where  ignorance  is  bliss  ‘ tis  folly  to  be  wise’  is  certainly 
not  true  in  regard  to  psychic  or  spirit  relationships. 
Neither  is  innocence  a  safeguard  against  error  and  folly. 
Innocent,  but  ignorant,  people  are  all  the  time  foolishly 
rushing  in  ‘where  angels  fear  to  tread’  and  incurring  risks 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


181 


which,  but  for  their  innate  simplicity  and  goodness,  might 
lead  to  disaster.  Even  goodness  and  purity,  however,  are 
not  always  proof  against  the  attacks  of  the  unscrupulous 
and  crafty.  Sincerity  of  intention  does  not  protect  the 
careless  or  ignorant  from  the  consequences  of  their  mis¬ 
takes  and  neglect  of  proper  precautions. 

'undue  influence. ’ 

That  one  mind  can  obtain  undue  influence  over  another 
is  now  generally  admitted,  and  we  need  not  go  to  the  spirit 
world  for  instances  of  such  domination — they  are  common 
enough  in  this  world  if  we  have  eyes  to  see.  The  very 
‘copy-book’  maxims  of  our  youth  indicate  the  fact — ‘Evil 
commuieations  corrupt  good  morals’:  ‘A  man  is  known  by 
the  company  he  keeps,’  etc.  The  successful  salesman  or 
commercial  traveler  frequently  exercises  this  hypnotic  in¬ 
fluence  quite  unconsciously  and  legitimately;  while  the 
‘confidence  trick’  man,  who  fleeces  his  unwary  victim, 
illegitimately  employs  the  same  power.  They  both  soothe 
and  surprise  their  subjects,  gaining  their  consent  before 
they  can  realize  the  situation,  and,  being  aroused,  become 
positive  enough  to  exercise  their  will  power  in  opposition. 
Many  a  marriage  has  been  solemnized  in  which  one  of  the 
contracting  parties  was  fascinated,  psychologized,  or  hyp¬ 
notized  by  the  dominating  influence  which  was  unduly 
exerted  by  the  other,  and  much  misery  might  be  avoided 
if  young  people  of  both  sexes  were  taught  the  probability 
of  such  experiences  and  how  to  guard  aginst  being  misled 

IS  IT  DANGEROUS  TO  DEVELOP  MEDIUMSHIP? 

The  student  will  sooner  or  later  meet  with  the  objection 
that  it  is  ‘dangerous  to  seek  to  develop  mediumsliip.’  That 
there  are  ‘personating,  tricky,  disorderly  and  evil  spirits’; 
and,  further,  ‘as  it  is  difficult  to  decide  when  those  who 
communicate  are  honorable  and  trustworthy,  it  is  best  to 
leave  the  whole  slbject  alone.’  To  this  we  reply,  the  same 
objection  may  be  raised  against  intercourse  with  people  on 
this  side.  Is  it  not  often  difficult  to  decide  who  among 
one’s  nequnintanoos  are  honorable  and  trustworthy?  So 


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A  Guide  lo  Mediumship 


much  so,  in  fact,  that  in  certain  moods  one  is  almost 
tempted  to  emulate  Diogenes,  and  set  out  to  hunt  for  an 
honest  man !  But  we  have  to  take  people  as  they  are,  and 
try  to  understand  them,  and  then  we  realize  that  most  of 
them  are  good,  well-meaning,  and  sincere.  Everyone  has 
his  limitations,  and  ‘to  err  is  human’;  but  when  we  ‘try 
spirits’  (embodied),  we  generally  find  that  they  are  not  as 
black  as  their  enemies  paint  them,  nor  as  white  as  their 
admirers  depict  them.  In  other  words,  they  are  human 
beings.  If  we  deal  with  spirit  people  in  the  same  natural 
and  sensible  way,  and  treat  them  as  we  do  the  people  we 
meet  with  here,  we  learn  that  though  some  of  them  are 
thoughtless,  mischievous,  and,  at  times,  pretentious,  the 
majority  of  those  who  manifest  their  presence  differ  very 
little  from  the  people  who  live  around  us  on  this  side. 

THE  LAW  OF  ATTRACTION. 

Spirits  are  attracted  to  those  persons  with  whom  they 
can  establish  sympathetic  relations  upon  either  the  phys¬ 
ical,  affectional,  or  psychical  planes.  Although  animated 
by  the  best  intentions,  it  is  possible  for  them  to  injur¬ 
iously  affect  those  whom  they  love.  In  their  extreme  anx¬ 
iety  to  make  their  presence  known,  and  to  console  their 
loved  ones,  they  may  attach  themselves  too  closely  to  those 
who  are  susceptible  to  their  influence,  and  cause  the  sensi¬ 
tives  to  experience  sensations  which  may  be  mistakenly  re¬ 
garded  as  injurious. 

SPIRITS  OFTEN  UNJUSTLY  BLAMED. 

It  does  not  follow  that  because  a  sensitive  shakes  and 
feel  peculiar  sensations  and  impulses,  that  these  pheno¬ 
mena  are  of  necessity  due  to  the  operations  of  excamate 
intelligences.  Very  much  that  is  attributed  to  the  influence 
of  obsesing  spirits'  may  be  explained  upon  purely  physiol¬ 
ogical  grounds. 

Many  people  do  not  understand,  and  are  not  prepared 
for,  the  natural  cravings  and  demands  which  inevitably 
arise  witbin  them,  and  they  suffer  great  distress  of  mind 
in  eonsequense  of  their  ignorance  regarding  their  own  per- 


1  Guide  to  Mediumship 


183 


sonality.  Sensitives  are  apt  to  regard  these  inclinations 
and  tendencies  as  due  to  the  influence  of  the  devil ;  or,  if 
they  have  leamt  a  little  of  mediumship,  they  find  a  scape¬ 
goat  in  ‘obsessing  spirts,’  instead  of  studying  human  phys¬ 
iology.  Furthermore,  in  the  early  stages  of  their  develop¬ 
ment  mediums  generally  experience  strange  feelings  and 
much  mental  and  nervous  excitement.  The  unusual  activ- 
ity~ahd  the  curious  sensations  that  are  induced  by  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  the  spirits  upon  them,  together  with  the  element 
of  uncertainty,  not  unmixed  with  fear,  consequent  upon 
the  newness  of  the  stirrings  and  impulses  that  are  aroused 
in  them,  tend  to  unsettle  the  sensitives  and  cause  them  to 
imagine  that  the  spirits  wish  them  to  do  or  say  things 
which  are  in  rcalitj^  due  to  their  own  disturbed  conditions, 
and  it  is  necessary  that  they  should  guard  themselves 
against  becoming  too  much  engrossed  or  too  enthusiastic, 
lest  they  should  be  carried  away  by  their  own  desires. 

It  is  frequently  asserted  by  non-Spiritualists  that  me¬ 
diumship  leads  to  insanity,  but  experience  shows  that  it 
more  often  saves  people  from  the  lunatic  asylum  by  ex¬ 
plaining  the  nature  and  causes  of  their  perplexing  sensa¬ 
tions  and  teaching  them  how  to  acquire  self-control. 

True  mediumshp  does  not  consist  in  abject  passivity 
and  self-surrender  to  a  dominating  mind,  but  it  involves 
the  cultivation  of  the  spiritual  faculties  and  the  exaltation 
of  the  consciousness  until  the  sensitive  acquires  the  positive 
power  to  receive  or  reject  impressions  or  influences  that 
may  impinge  upon  his  psychic  nature. 

The  strong  yearnings  experienced  by  the  bereaved  who 
sigh 

‘For  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand 
And  the  sound  of  a  voice  that  is  still,’ 

are  frequently  selfish  and  tend  to  hold  the  departed  to  the 
earth-conditions,  thus  setting  up  vibrations  which  may 
prove  painful  alike  to  the  spirit  and  the  mourner. 

CULTURE  BRINGS  PAIN  AS  WELL  AS  PLEASURE. 

The  opening  of  the  avenues  of  spiritual  perception  and 
the  quickening  of  the  responsiveness  of  his  inner  self  to 


184 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


psychic  conditions,  introduce  the  sensitive  into  a  new  realm 
of  impulses,  intuitions  and  experiences.  The  influences  of 
places  and  people  on  this  side,  as  well  as  on  the  other,  im¬ 
pinge  upon  him  and  he  grows  conscious  of  sights,  sounds, 
and  sensations  which  he  can  neither  name,  account  for, 
nor  interpret.  Like  an  Aeolian  harp,  that  is  stirred  by 
passing  vibrations,  he  may  be  responsive  to  the  breath  of 
love,  or  the  gust  of  hate,  the  breeze  of  pure  desire  or  the 
storm  of  passion.  These  subtle  ‘sensings,’  and  their  reg¬ 
istration  in  his  psychic  consciousness,  sometimes  disturb, 
perplex,  and  annoy  him,  and  in  the  rough  and  ready  way 
of  flnding  an  easy  solution  for  difficult  problems,  he  at¬ 
tributes  them  to  evil  spirits,  but  does  not  explain  them  nor 
truly  interpret  their  significance. 

The  training  of  the  eye  and  ear  to  distinguish  the 
shades  of  color  and  the  nice  gradations  in  sound,  and  the 
cultivation  of  the  artistic  power  of  attention  to,  and  ap¬ 
preciation  of,  harmony,  necessarily  lay  the  individual  open 
to  the  liability  of  being  painfully  affected  by  discords  and 
inharmonies.  The  sensitive  may  expect  to  have  to  pay  the 
same  penalty  for  his  development  until  he  learns  how  to 
become  master  of  his  powers  and  inhibit  all  discords ;  to 
shut  off,  and  out,  those  ‘suggestions’  and  influences  which 
rasp  and  injure  him,  while  he  invites  those  which  are  con¬ 
genial  and  spiritually  beneficial. 

CAST  OUT  ALL  FEAR-THOUGHTS. 

Fear  hath  torments,  and  the  dread  of  the  unknown  is 
a  sign  of  weakness  born  of  ignorance.  When  we  hold  aloft 
the  lamp  of  knowledge  we  fearlessly  tread  the  path.  Spec¬ 
tres  grim  and  devils  dark  disappear  when  we  can  see  the 
realities  of  the  spirit.  Fear  has  caused  many  poor  souls 
to  conjure  up  phantoms  with  which  they  have  tortured 
themselves,  cringing  in  terror  where  they  should  have  been 
bold  and  confident.  Traditional  theology  with  its  Satan 
and  his  emissaries  has  been  responsible  for  a  great  deal  of 
the  insanity  and  for  many  of  the  hysterical  hallucinations 
under  which  so  many  sufferers  have  broken  down;  and 
there  is  danger,  unless  they  guard  themselves  against  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


185 


error,  that  unthinking  and  irrational  people  who  dabble 
with  Spiritualism  will  transfer  their  fear  of  the  Devil  to 
fear  of  obsessing  spirits. 

To  one  lady  who  had  an  idea  that  a  living  person  had 
exerted  an  evil  influence  over  her,  but  who  subsequently 
discovered  that  she  was  mistaken,  and  then  attributed  her 
feelings  to  an  ezcamate  individual,  we  felt  constrained  to 
point  out  that,  while  it  was  possible  that  a  spirit  was  in¬ 
fluencing  her,  she  had,  by  her  ignorance  and  her  fears,  at¬ 
tached  too  much  importance  to  the  sensations  she  exper¬ 
ienced,  and  had  imagined  that  they  were  far  worse  and 
more  uncommon  than  they  really  were.  She  had,  in  fact, 
given  a  dominating  suggestion  to  herself,  and,  while  anx¬ 
ious  for  relief,  she  confessed  by  her  fears  what  she  denied 
with  her  words.  She  thus  perpetuated  the  very  conditions 
she  deplored,  and  intensified  her  own  sufferings.  Victims 
of  auto-suggestion  are  seldom  in  the  condition  of  body  or 
mind  to  understand  their  feelings2  or  to  rise  superior  to 
the  conditions  that  they  hdve  induced.  If  they  could  only 
see  their  folly,  and  realize  how  weak  of  will  and  infirm  in 
purpose  and  principle  they  have  been,  they  would  speedily 
overcome  their  infatuation.  But  they  think  about  and 
dilate  upon  their  trouble,  their  feelings,  their  danger,  and 
crave  the  sympathy  of  their  friends, % until  ‘trifles  light  as 
air’  assume  great  importance,  and  purely  natural  sub¬ 
jective  states  are  regarded  as  evidences  of  the  malignant 
purpose  of  an  unseen  enemy. 

NOT  EVIL  BECAUSE  IMPERFECT. 

We  have  elsewhere  pointed  out  that  many  difficulties 
have  to  be  surmounted  on  both  sides  before  clear  and  def¬ 
inite  intercourse  with  spirit  people  can  be  enjoyed,  and 
therefore  allowance  must  be  made  for  mistakes,  failures, 
and  misunderstandings.  Imperfect  or  inaccurate  communi¬ 
cations  are  not  evil,  nor~the  work  of  obsessing  spirits  or 
clevils.  It  is  so  easy  to  misunderstand  when  both  parties 
are  groping  in  the  dark  that  the  wonder  is,  not  that  we 
get  so  few  good  and  true  messages,  but  that  we  get  so  many! 

The  intelligent  study  by  mediums  of  the  laws  of  asso¬ 
ciation  and  of  the  conditions  of  mediumship  will  lead  to 


186 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


a  more  enlightened  exercise  of  the  powers  of  will  by  which 
they  ean  hold  themselves  free  from  all  influences  except 
those  to  which  they  desire  to  yield. 

It  will  be  helpful  to  remember  that  spirits  do  not  oust  a 
man  from  his  own  body  and  take  possession  of  his  brain 
and  personality,  to  use  or  abuse  it  at  their  own  will  and 
pleasure,  whether  he  is  agreeable  or  not.  On  the  contrary, 
spirit  influence  is  exerted  upon  a  sensitive  in  the  same  man¬ 
ner  as  the  mesmerist  or  hypnotist  operates  upon  his  subject ; 
and  while  unthinking  persons  may  heedlessly  welcome  any 
kind  of  influence  in  their  eager  desire  to  become  mediums, 
and  thus  run  the  risk  of  being  acted  upon  by  undesirable 
spirits,  they  have  the  power  to  break  all  such  associations 
if  they  are  determined  to  gain  their  freedom. 

IMPERSONATING  SPIRIT^. 

That  there  are  spirits  who  ipmetimes  ‘impersonate,’  and 
seek  to  pass  themselves  off  as,  the  friends  of  the  sitters,  we 
have  had  proof  on  several  occasions;  but  they  invariably 
get  ‘bowled  out’  if  the  investigators  are  observant  and 
careful,  and  they  are  by  no  means  as  numerous  or  as  evilly 
disposed  as  some  people  imagine.  That  there  are  spirits 
who  ‘play  up’  to  the  weaknesses  and  flatter  the  vanity  of 
those  to  whom  they  communicate ;  that  they  give  glowing 
assurances  of  the  good  things  that  they  will  perform  by- 
and-by,  and  profess  to  be  some  of  the  ‘great  ones’  of  the 
past,  is  equally  true.  ‘People  dearly  love  a  lord,’  and  this 
amiable  weakness  is  fully  realized  by  the  jokers  on  ‘the 
other  side’ — but  the  fault  does  not  wholly  rest  with  them! 
Their  too-confiding  subjects  are  in  the  main  responsible 
for  their  own  mystification  and  misleading.  They  are  so 
anxious  to  be  guided  by  some  ‘eminent’  person  who  will 
be  to  them  an  ‘  authority,  ’  that  they  practically  invite  pre¬ 
tenders  who  ‘  fool  them  to  the  top  of  their  bent.  ’  This  does 
not  apply  to  all  cases  of  real  or  supposed  deception,  but 
it  does  cover  a  large  proportion  of  such  experiences.  In 
many  instances  there  is  an  element  of  self-deception — or 
auto-suggestion — ‘the  wish  becomes  father  to  the  thought.’ 
and  the  sensitive’s  unrestrained  imaginative  powers  do 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


187 


the  rest.  There  are  many  persons  outside  of  Spiritualism 
who  believe  that  they  are  in  direct  communication  with 
God,  while  others  are  equally  as  sincere  and  earnest  in 
their  belief  that  the  agents  of  the  Devil  are  continually 
tempting  them — is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  when  un¬ 
balanced  people  investigate  Spiritualism  they  should  go 
to  similar  extremes? 

SPONTANEOUS  MEDIUMSHIP  NOT  UNDERSTOOD. 

Sensitives  sometimes  hear  unpleasant  ‘voices,’  which 
medical  men  are  apt  to  regard  as  purely  subjective  or 
imaginary — but  they  may  be  truly  voices — those  of  spirit 
people — as  spontaneous  or  natural  clairaudience  is  quite 
as  probable  as  natural  clairvoyance  or  psyehometry.  It 
may  be  that  the  inner  hearing  has  been  opened  upon  the 
lower  plane  of  the  thought-conditions  of  the  soul  realm, 
and  the  sensitive  hears  expressions,  or  senses  the  repulsive 
thoughts,  that  distress  him,  somewhat  as  one  might  be 
shocked  by  hearing  the  objectionable  language  of  the 
habitues  of  a  low  public-house,  or  by  the  vulgar  and  brutal 
expressions  of  a  group  of  coarse  and  ignorant  men  when 
passing  them  in  the  street.  There  would  not  necessarily 
be  any  intention  to  offend,  under  such  circumstances,  as 
those  people  would  simply  be  speaking  in  their  accustomed 
manner.  In  the  same  way  it  is  probable  that  the  spirits 
whose  voices  and  thoughts  produce  unpleasant  effects  upon 
sensitives  may  be  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  they  are 
overheard ;  or  may  not  know  how  to  move  away  from  them, 
any  more  than  the  sensitives  know  how  to  close  their  psy¬ 
chic  nature  so  as  to  become  unconscious  of,  and  unrespon¬ 
sive  to,  unwelcome  companions. 

CONDITIONS  AND  CAUSES  OF  OBSESSION. 

The  conditions  and  causes  which  lead  up  to  real  or 
supposed  obsession  may  be  summed  us  as  follows : 

Temporary  association;  such  as  living  in  a  haunted 
house  or  in  companionship  with  people  of  a  low  moral 
tone,  and  being,  perhaps  unconsciously,  subject  to  ‘sugges¬ 
tions’  from  them. 


188 


A.  Guide  to  Mediumship 


Nervous  exhaustion  and  psychical  depletion,  resulting 
from  too  frequent  and  prolonged  ‘sittings’  and  promiscu¬ 
ous  seances  where  inharmonious  conditions  prevail. 

Mental  concentration  by  excited  and  continuous 
thought  about  the  one  subject  to  the  exclusion  of  others ; 
and  indiscriminate  self-surrender  to  ‘control’  in  the  anxiety 
to  become  a  medium. 

Unrestrained  imagination ;  the  morbid  pessimism  which 
follows  upon  intense  grief;  or  other  ‘shocks’  which  cause 
mental  strain,  hysteria,  or  melancholia,  or  both. 

Airto-suggestion  resulting  from  fear  and  due  to  the 
misinterpretation  of  sensations  and  impulses  which  may 
be  accounted  for  on  purely  physiological  grounds. 

Diseased  or  unbalanced  conditions  of  body  of  mind ;  or 
personal  habits  which  make  excessive  drain  upon  the  vital 
energies  and  lower  the  moral  tone  of  the  sensitive. 

We  do  not  deny  that  spirits  may,  and  sometimes  do, 
dominate  an  individual,  but  we  feel  assured  that  in  the 
majority  of  such  cases,  where  the  control  obtains  the  mas¬ 
tery, there  is  some  weakness  or  disease;  some  point  of  con¬ 
tact  and  similarity  between  the  spirit  and  the  physical, 
mental,  moral,  or  psychical  conditions  of  the  sensitive.  * 
Those  associations,  however,  in  which  the  disposition  and 
purpose  of  the  spirit  may  be  called  evil  or  malevolent  are 
rare ;  and  the  instances  in  which  the  obsessing  spirit  can¬ 
not  be  reached  by  benevolent  sympathies  and  services  on 
the  part  of  the  sitters  and  the  sensitive  are  still  more  rare ! 
In  our  experience  we  have  found  that  in  the  few  cases 
where  badly-disposed  spirits  were  really  at  work,  they  came 
to  gratify  their  spite,  to  mislead  for  revenge,  or  to  ‘get 
even’  because  of  some  injury  or  fancied  slight. 

*  Hudson  Tuttle  holds  that  ‘a  deficiency  of  will  power,  induced 
by  physical  conditions,  rather  than  mental,  has  been  the  immediate 
cause  of  what  is  called  obsession,  in  varying  degrees  from  a  slight 
inclination  to  complete  loss  of  self-control.  .  .  Unless  the  gateway 
is  open,  such  influence  cannot  enter.  Known  or  unknown,  there 
is  a  weak  point  of  attack,  a  physical  state,  more  or  less  diseased, 
reflected  on  the  mind,  and  making  it  plastic  to  impressions  received 
through  the  lower  nature.’ 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  189 

SPIRITS  SOMETIMES  PERSISTENT,  BUT  NOT  MALICIOUS. 

Spirits  are  sometimes  very  persistent.  Having  found 
.someone  who  is  sensitive,  through  whom  they  think  they 
can  reach  their  friends,  they  persevere  in  the  most  deter¬ 
mined  fashion,  in  spite  of  the  objections  and  fears  of  the 
subject.  Perhaps  they  are  penitent,  anxious  to  confess 
their  faults,  or  follies,  and  to  obtain  forgiveness.  Or  they 
desire  to  convince  their  friends  of  their  presence  and  con¬ 
sole  them,  and,  with  such  intentions  in  their  minds,  they, 
with  a  pertinacity  that  is  distinctly  human,  but  often  very 
disagreeable,  fasten  on  to  the  medium  and  will  give  him 
no  rest.  Then  again,  when  spirits  who  have  had  little  or 
no  experience  seek  to  control  sensitives.,  they  often  exert 
fob  much  influence.  They  transfer  their  own  conditions 
and  desires  too  strongly,  and,  in  their  anxiety,  fail  to  rea¬ 
lize  that  they  are  acting  unkindly  or  prejudicially  towards 
their  instruments.  Further,  as  ‘first  control  experiences’ 
are  frequently  of  the  nature  of  ‘impersonations,’  the  sen¬ 
sitive  who  is  overshadowed  in  that  way  by  the  memory- 
sphere  of  an  unhappy,  conscience-stricken  soul  may  be  ex¬ 
cused  if  he  rebels  against  such  influences  and  misunder¬ 
stands  their  purport.  Still,  distressed  sensitives  have  fre¬ 
quently  obtained  relief  by  a  temporary  surrender  to  the 
wishes  of  the  control  in  the  presence  of  experienced 
observers. 

By  thus  ascertaining  the  object  of  the  spirit;  by  reason¬ 
ing  with  him;  by  appealing  to  his  sympathy;  and  by  in¬ 
structing  him  as  regards  the  nature  of  the  effects  he  has 
produced  upon  the  medium  and  how  to  proceed  in  future, 
so  as  to  secure  happier  results,  intelligent  and  observant 
sitters  can  frequently  relieve  the  sensitive  from  all  fear; 
benefit  the  spirit ;  and  themselves  obtain  experiences  of  a 
very  educational  character. 

Many  mediums  can  to-day  number  among  their  most 
faithful  and  helpful  friends  in  spirit  life  those  who  at 
first  were  rough,  overmastering,  and  apparently  obsessing 
and  undesirable  controls;  but  who,  by  kindness  and  love, 
were  assisted  and  educated  and  afterwards  became  useful 
and  trustworthy  friends  and  co-workers 


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THREE  COURSES  OF  TREATMENT. 

When  it.  is  evident  that  a  sensitive  is  under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  a  spirit  who  either  cannot  or  will  not  withdraw 
from  the  association,  there  is  no  reason  for  perturbation 
on  the  part  of  the  medium  or  his  friends.  There  are,  as 
we  have  indicated,  three  courses  open  to  them  in  dealing 
with  such  a  ease — 

1st.  Try  to  ascertain  who  the  spirit  is,  what  he  wishes 
to  do,  and  why  he  persists  in  exercising  his  control  over 
The  medium.  Talk  to  him  kindly,  help  him,  reason  with 
him,  pray  for  and  with  him,  carry  out  his  wishes  as  far 
as  they  are  reasonable,  and  enlighten  him  to  the  best  of 
your  ability. 

2nd.  Invoke  the  assistance,  of  strong,  helpful,  healing 
spirits,  and  call  in  a  healer  who  is  also  a  clairvoyant,  or  a 
medium  who  possesses  the  power  to  deal  with  undeveloped 
spirits,  aricl  build  up  the  physical  strength  and  the  psychic 
nature  of  the  sensitive  and  encourage  him  to  resist  and 
break  the  ‘spell’  that  has  been  thrown  over  him. 

3rd.  This  is  the  most  important  course,  because  it 
must  be  followed  to  some  extent  in  every  case,  and  is  the 
one  which  we  have  already  emphasized,  viz.,  the  medium 
must,  by  determined  and  persistent  effort  of  will  and  spir¬ 
itual  aspiration,  learn  how  to  be  confident,  and  possess 
himself,  and  refuse  to  be  held  in  psychological  captivity 
by7 or  be  made  the  sport  and  plaything  of,  unseen  beings. 
He  should  not  surrender  to  the  idea  that  he  is  ‘obsessed’; 
or  discuss  the  subject  too  freely  with  other’s,  or  weakly 
seek  the  sympathy  and  condolences  of  his  friends,  as  all 
such  admissions  and  recognitions  tend  to  strengthen  the  im¬ 
pression  that  lie  is  a  captive  and  powerless  to  resist.  He 
should  not  go  to  this,  that,  and  the  other  person  for  ad¬ 
vice  and  ‘cure’— the  power  to  overcome  is  within.  ‘I  can 
and  will  be  freeT~should  be  his  affirmation,  strongly  felt 
and  boldly  proclaimed,  and  then  he  will  speedily  say  ‘I 
am  free.’  and  know  that  it  is  true. 

As  distance  on  the  spirit  side  is  more  a  matter  of  state 
than  geography,  the  psychic  must  strive  to  attain  a  higher 
degree  of  lucidity — to  get  away  from  the  plane  of  haunt- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


191 

ing,  vicious,  earthly  or  vindicative  spirit  people  by  rising 
above  it,  so  as  to  be  unaffected  by  those  denser  vibrations 
and  respond  to  the  more  subtle  and  spiritual  forces.  The 
purpose  of  development  can  best  be  served  when  the 
sensitive,  by  sincere  thought  and  earnest  aspiration,  pre¬ 
pares  himself  for  the  highest  and  purest  baptisms  of  spir¬ 
itual  illumination  and  learns  to  inflexibly  hold  himself  in¬ 
dependent  of  all  conditions  save  those  to  which  he  volun¬ 
tarily  opens  his  consciousness  for  wise  guidance. 

TO  THE  PURE  ALL  THINGS  ARE  PURE. 

Very  much  depends  upon  the  objects  entertained  by  the 
medium  and  the  sitters,  as  also  upon  the  character  and  in¬ 
tentions  of  tire  spirit  who  seeks  to  manifest  his  presence ; 
but,  on  general  lines,  where  people  of  average  intelligence 
and  rectitude  seek  communion  with  those  they  have  known 
and  esteemed,  or  loved,  the  results  are  almost  invariably 
beneficial.  There  is  every  reason  why  this  should  be  so 
if  the  common-sense  precautions  are  observed  of  keeping 
a  level  head,  exercising  patience,  exhibiting  unselfishness 
and  sincerity,  and  desiring  good  spiritual  counsel  and 
fellowship.  The  rational  course  to  follow  is  assuredly  that 
of  avoiding  the  extremes  alike  of  credulity  and  sceptical 
incredulity,  but  letting  the  spirits  do  their  best,  and  then 
collating  the  facts  observed  and  drawing  conclusions.  Care, 
patience  and  perseverance  will  save  both  mediums  and  in¬ 
quirers  from  many  misconceptions  and  enable  them  to 
avoid  the  errors  of  others.  Above  all,  mediums  should  ob¬ 
serve  their  own  feelings,  study  their  own  experiences,  try 
to  understand  and  co-operate  with  the  spirits,  but  never 
yield  servile  or  slavish  service,  nor  permit  themselves  to 
be  swayed  by  flattery  nor  dominated  by  any  spirit  (in  the 
circle  or  on  the  spirit  side)  who  claims  obedience,  poses 
as  an  J  authority,  ’  or  refuses  to  recognize  the  rights  of 
others. 

ADVICE  TO  THE  SENSITIVE. 

Do  not  expect  that  you  will  be  influenced  by  a  low  class 
of  spirit  people,  either  on  this  side  or  the  other;  neither 
should  you  fear  any  such  contingency,  as  by  so  doing  you 


192 


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■will  go  half- way  to  meet  the  very  danger  you  dread — but 
in  case  it  should  happen,  it  is  well  that  you  should  know 
what  to  do  to  close  the  avenues  of  your  psychic  self 
to  any  such  unwelcome  intrusions.  By  brooding,  introspec¬ 
tive,  sorrowful  and  self-pitying  fear-thought,  people  be¬ 
come  morbid  and  unbalanced.  Do  not  give  way  to  any 
such  tendencies.  We  do  not  go  about  in  terror  of  our  lives 
because  we  know  that  there  are  scoundrels  in  this  world — 
why,  then,  should  you  be  cowardly  and  afraid  because 
there  are  fools,  frauds,  and  pretenders  ‘over  there’?  Re¬ 
member  that  spirits  cannot  make  you  do  anything  against 
your  determined  will. 

Keep  body  and  mind  pure  and  healthy  and  control 
your  thoughts.  ‘Fear  makes  cowards  of  us  all’ — the~ rem¬ 
edy  is  knowledge  and  pure  purpose.  You  can  overcome 
wealoiess  and  evil  thoughts  by  substituting  good  strong 
thoughts;  by  cultivating  an  affirmative  and  positive  men¬ 
tal  attitude  and  by  rising  to  a  higher  spiritual  plane. 

When  you  know  that,  by  the  exercise  of  your  own  will, 
you  can  control  your  psychic  conditions  and  become  soul- 
centered  so  as  to  prevent  any  unwelcome  or  uncongenial 
influence  affecting  you  to  your  injury,  you  need  have 
no  fear. 

Like  seeks  like  as  a  rule.  But  if,  owing  to  inhar¬ 
monious  surroundings,  or  unspiritual  sitters,  or  temporary 
weakness  of  body,  or  lack  of  watchfulness,  you  should  be¬ 
come  subject  to  the  dominating  thoughts  of  any  spirit,  in 
or  out  of  the  body,  that  are  calculated  to  lower  your  tone, 
remember — you  have  but  to  be  determined,  and  call  upon 
your  own  governing  will  forces,  to  be  positive  and  repel 
all  such  influences. 

A  GOSPEL  OF  GLADNESS,  GOODNESS,  AND  CHEER. 

Spiritualism  is  a  gospel  of  glad  tidings,  and  it  should 
lift  you  above  the  mists  of  superstition  and  fear  into  the 
serener  air  of  spiritual  self-confidence,  of  faith  in  your 
own  divine  nature,  and  joyous  self-possession.  Obsessing 
influences  cannot  reach  you  or  hold  you  when  your  soul 
is  thrilling  with  delight  and  your  mind  is  fully  engaged 
in  optimistic  work  for  the  good  of  humanity. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


193 

The  path  of  mediumship  is  not  an  easy  one  to  tread. 
Do  not  foolishly  imagine  that  it  will  lead  to  the  acquisition 
of  knowledge,  without  effort  and  experience.  It  is  not 
‘spiritual  attainment  made  easy,’  whereby  the  indolent  can, 
by  a  species  of  substitution,  wear  the  robes  of  righteousness 
and  display  the  graces  of  exalted  ‘guides’  in  lieu  of  their 
owm.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the  great  and  good  souls 
of  the  higher  life  will  have  fellowship  with  the  ignorant 
and  frivolous,  and  be  content  to  express  their  ideas 
through  instruments  who  do  not  make  earnest  and  per¬ 
sistent  endeavors  to  render  themselves  fit  for  the  service 
of  such  sweet  and  enlightened  souls. 

Forget  yourself.  Think,  live,  and  find  your  joy  in 
serving  others.  In  the  altruistic  atmosphere,  where  self  is 
forgotten,  love  and  goodness  are  supreme.  What  are  your 
woes  and  sufferings  compared  with  those  of  the  mourners 
and  the  world’s  burden-bearers?  In  helping  them  you 
will  gain  freedom. 


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A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SOME  IMPORTANT  CONSIDERATIONS. 

Modern  Spiritualism  came  as  a  reaction  against  mater¬ 
ialism,  and  the  single  idea  which  gave  it  birth  was  that 
ghosts  or  spirits  were  individualized  entities  subject  to  law. 
It  is  distinguished  from  the  ancient  Spiritualism  by  its 
sweeping  claim  that  all  spiritual  phenomena,  and  the  evo¬ 
lution  and  existence  of  spirits,  are  governed  by  the  opera¬ 
tion  of  fixed  and  ascertainable  laws. — Hudson  Tuttle. 

The  evidences  of  the  presence,  power,  and  identity  of 
the  people  we  call  dead  have  accumulated  to  such  an  ex¬ 
tent  that  no  really  well-informed  person  will  think  of  de¬ 
nying  that  under  certain  favorable  conditions  intercourse 
can  be  carried  on  between  the  people  of  earth  and  those  of 
the  after-death  spheres  of  being. — B.G.E. 

There  is  no  need  for  us  to  give  directions  for  seances 
for  the  various  physical  phenomena,  such  as  slate-writing, 
spirit  photography,  direct  voices,  materializations,  etc.,  be¬ 
cause  those  mediums  who  possess  the  psycho-physical  quali¬ 
fications  for  these  demonstrations  almost  invariably  elabo¬ 
rate  strong  and  abundant  psychic  force  by  means  of  which 
the  spirits  themselves  can  give  instructions  (by  raps,  table 
tiltings,  or  in  writing)  how  the  seances  are  to  be  conducted. 
They  alone  know  what  conditions  they  require ;  they  alone 
can  select  and  place  the  sitters  and  generally  arrange  mat¬ 
ters,  and,  beyond  providing  the  slates,  cabinet,  camera, 
and  slides,  or  writing  materials,  very  little  can  be  done  by 
the  sitters  or  the  medium,  unless  the  latter  acts  upon  such 
impressions  as  he  may  receive. 

Mediums  for  physical  demonstrations  are  sometimes 
entranced,  but  it  is  not  always  necessary,  and  many  of  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


195 


/nost  successful  who  were  put  under  control  during  the 
early  days  of  their  mediumship  afterwards  remained  con¬ 
scious  during  their  seances^  This  is  also  true  of  many  pub- 
lie  speakers?  As  a  general  rule  excellence  is  attained  in 
one  direction,  and  it  is  advisable  to  find  out  what  the  spir¬ 
its  can  do  best  through  each  medium,  and  let  other  forms 
of  manifestation  be  supplementary. 

We  fully  recognize  the  immense  importance  of  the  phe¬ 
nomena  which  demonstrate  the  continued  existence  of  hu¬ 
man  beings,  and  prove  the  reality  of  our  faith  in  a  future 
life,  and  we  only  wish  that  they  could  be  multiplied  a  thou¬ 
sand  fold. 

It  is  impossible  for  a  medium,  or  for  the  spirits,  to  sat¬ 
isfy  all  the  whims  and  demands  of  sceptical  and  cynical  sit¬ 
ters,  or  to  gratify  the  wishes  of  those  who  are  always  on 
the  look-out  for  ‘something  new  and  strange.’  They  can¬ 
not  produce  phenomena  on  demand;  or  turn  on  the  tap  and 
jet  the  forces  flow  like  water. 

It  is  probable  that  the  inveterate  sceptic  loses  more  than 
he  gains  by  maintaining  an  attitude  of  rigid  unbelief,  which 
well-nigh  invariably  leads  to  cynical  and  critical  habits  of 
thought  which  bias  the  judgment,  poison  the  mind,  and 
erect  impassable  barriers  that  shut  out  the  spirits.  The 
sceptical  habit  causes  men  to  mistrust  others,  and 
weakens  their  faith  in  their  own  ability  to  observe  and  de¬ 
cide;  or  it  leads  to  an  opinionated,  egotistical  self-com¬ 
placency  which  cannot  be  pierced  by  truth.  On  the  other 
hand,  sympathy  and  open-mindedness  invite  confidence 
and  establish  communion. 

It  is  as  unreasonable  to  accept,  without  the  most  con¬ 
vincing  demonstrations  of  their  accuracy,  the  asserted  ‘ex¬ 
planations’  of  the  facts  of  mediumship  put  forward  by  non- 
Spiritualists  (which  explain  too  much  and  depend  upon 
‘authorities’  rather  than  facts)  as  to  accept  the  spiritualis¬ 
tic  claim  without  proof ;  but  when  we  remember  that  men 
like  Crookes,  Wallace.  Hodgson  and  Myers  have  been  lit¬ 
erally  driven  to  accept  the  spiritualistic  position,  by  the 
weight  of  the  evidence,  we  can  justly  claim  that  it  is  wisest 
and  most  reasonable  to  maintain,  not  only  a  ‘mind  to  let,’ 
but  an  attitude  of  hospitality  towards  the  spirits,  for  we 


196 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


are  much  more  likely  to  ‘entertain  angels’  if  we  invite  them 
with  kindly  thoughts  than  if  we  try  to  quarantine  them 
and  put  them  through  a  critical  cross-examination.  The 
credulity  of  the  incredulous  sceptic  is  often  greater  than 
that  of  the  ‘believer,’  and  is,  to  say  the  least,  equally  as  un¬ 
scientific  and  unwise ! 

Only  their  sincere  love  for  the  truth  and  their  desire 
to  be  of  service  to  others  can  sustain  the  workers  under 
the  constant  suspicion  of  fraud  (if  not  the  direct  charges  of 
trickery)  which  so  many  have  had  to  endure. 

PROGRESSIVE  DEVELOPMENTS. 

After  the  sitters  in  a  circle  have  had  physical  phe¬ 
nomena  for  some  time,  the  power  for  the  production  of 
that  class  of  manifestation  will  probably  be  exhausted, 
and  unless  some  new  sitters  are  introduced  the  more  in¬ 
terior  and  subtle  psychical  forces  of  the  medium  and  the 
members  of  the  circle  may  be  drawn  upon  for  more  men¬ 
tal  modes  of  intercourse. 

Sirs.  Britten,  in  her  magazine,  ‘The  Unseen  Universe,’ 
said  that  in  early  childhood  she  was  a  very  susceptible 
magnetic  subject,  and  continued:  ‘By  a  party  of  eminent 
occultists  who  held  strictly  private — or,  I  might  say,  secret 
— circles  for  investigation,  I  was  frequently  invited,  with 
other  young  persons,  to  become  a  subject  for  the  magnetic 
operations  of  inquirers.  In  my  own  ease  I  was  never  ren¬ 
dered  wholly  unconscious  by  the  will  of  the  inagnetisers, 
though  nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  subjects  they  experimented 
with  were  made  so.  I  believe  now  that  the  difference  be¬ 
tween  the  partial  and  total  unconsciousness  of  the  various 
subjects  of  these  occult  seances  corresponded  to  the  dif¬ 
ferent  degrees  of  entrancement  which  we  who  are  plat¬ 
form  speakers  experience.  I  realize  that  on  the  spiritual 
rostrum  I  am  two  distinct  persons.  I  can  go  on  speaking 
aloud,  yet  thinking  of  quite  other  matters,  and  when  I 
can  fix  my  mind  on  what  I  utter  I  have  listened  with  a 
sense  of  strangeness,  which  brings  conviction,  to  my  mind, 
at  least,  that  I  am  not  the  individual  who  originates  the 
thoughts  expressed,  although  they  are  undoubtedly  shaped 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


197 


by  the  organism  and  lingual  capabilities  through  which 
they  are  transmitted.  From  this  state  of  what  I  may  call 
waking  trance,  up  to  the  somnambulic  sleep  in  which  the 
spirit’s  ideas  are  expressed  automatically,  I  have  observed 
many  gradations,  ranging,  as  above  observed,  from  semi¬ 
consciousness  to  the  deep  somnambulic  sleep.  There  is  one 
striking  difference,  however,  between  the  enhancement  in¬ 
duced  by  human  and  spiritual  magnetism.  The  former  is 
much  stronger,  more  direct,  and,  in  general,  may  be  con¬ 
sidered  as  being  a  much  coarser,  or  more  material,  element 
than  the  latter.  Human  magnetic  control  annihilates  in¬ 
dividuality,  and  even  identity,  for  the  time  being,  and  sub¬ 
stitutes  the  sensuous  perceptions  of  the  magnetizer  in  place 
of  those  of  the  subject.  ‘  ‘  A  good  magnetic  subject  ’  ’  is  help¬ 
lessly  in  the  power  of  the  magnetizer,  unless  that  subject 
passes  away  from  the  human  to  a  spiritual  control,  when 
that  of  the  human  operator  is  at  once  last.  This  ivas  con¬ 
stantly  my  own  case,  and  thus  T,  and  others  similarly  in¬ 
fluenced,  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  spiritual  con¬ 
trol  is  more  subtle,  finer,  and — except  in  the  case  of  obses¬ 
sion  by  evil  spirits— far  purer.  Mediums,  when  once  they 
have  become  such,  are  scarcely  ever  susceptible  again  to 
human  magnetism.  To  avoid  any  such  possibility,  I  have 
always  been  strictly  charged  by  spirit  friends  never  to  sub¬ 
mit  to  be  magnetized  by  human  operators,  and  when  pre¬ 
paring  for  the  spiritual  rostrum  to  wear  silk,  and  avoid 
as  much  as  possible  conversation  or  contact  with  those 
around  me.’ 

Replying  to  a  question  as  to  how  spirits  control  their 
mediums,  ‘Tien,’  the  guide  of  Mr.  J.  J.  Morse,  said:  ‘There 
is  an  effort  to  gradually  subdue  the  normal  nervous  activi¬ 
ties  of  the  body  to  gradually  subdue  the  normal  nervous  ac- 
ties  of  the  body  to  a  state  of  rest  and  quiescence.  This 
induces  a  heavy,  depressing,  drowsy  kind  of  feeling,  a 
lethargy  stealing  over  the  bodily  functions,  until  one  by 
one  all  the  activities  of  the  body  still  themselves  and  come 
to  rest.  They  seem  to  do  this  to  the  consciousness  of  the 
individual  subjected  to  the  experiment.  This  quietude 
develops  into  a  state  of  sleep,  wherein  the  positive  actions 
of  the  vital  functions  are  turned  inwardly,  instead  of  being 


198 


A.  Guide  to  Mediumship 


allowed  to  express  themselves  outwardly,  as  in  waking  ac¬ 
tivity.  AVhen  a  complete  state  of  quiescence  has  been  es¬ 
tablished  in  the  brain  and  body,  there  is  a  slow  awaken¬ 
ing  of  various  nervous  centers  which  are  gradually  stimu¬ 
lated  to  a  certain  amount  of  activity.  This  results  in  a 
drawing  forth,  so  to  speak,  of  a  psychological  aura,  gen¬ 
erated  within  the  sphere  of  the  body  itself,  which  con¬ 
stitutes  the  bond  or  link  between  the  medium  as  subject, 
and  the  spirit  as  operator,  and  completes  the  link  between 
the  subject’s  body  and  the  controlling  intelligence.  When 
this  nervous  or  psychic  link  has  been  created,  there  is  a  fur¬ 
ther  effort  on  the  part  of  the  will  of  the  operator  to  awaken 
certain  ranges  of  faculties  within  the  mental  sphere  of  the 
subject.  This  will  be  determined  exactly  by  the  kind  of 
work  to  be  done  by  this  agency.  For  this  special  purpose 
the  superior  intellectual  faculties  are  more  directly  ap¬ 
pealed  to,  agreeing  with  sublimity,  reason,  foresight,  form, 
and  color.  Then  a  certain  amount  of  physical  energy  is 
liberated  as  a  sort  of  steam  to  direct  the  machinery  when 
the  handle  is  turned.  Presently  the  wheels  are  set  in  mo¬ 
tion,  and  mentally  there  is  an  awakening  of  the  higher 
faculties.  Spiritually  speaking,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
spiritual  element,  the  consciousness  of  the  individual — that 
is  himself — shall  be  held  as  quiet  as  possible.  In  some  cases 
the  spirit  is  withdrawn  from  the  body,  though  sufficient  re¬ 
lation  is  maintained  so  that  the  individual  may  remain  a 
living  being.  In  other  cases,  where  it  is  not  necessary  that 
the  spiritual  presence  should  be  withdrawn,  it  is  reduced 
to  a  state  of  quiescence.  This  is  absolutely  essential,  be¬ 
cause  in  proportion  to  the  activity  of  consciousness  in  the 
individual,  so  are  the  difficulties  of  control.  It  is  true, 
more  or  less,  of  all  bodily  and  mental  faculties,  for  just  in 
proportion  as  the  individual  resumes  sway  over  any  part 
or  parts  of  his  body,  just  in  that  proportion  is  control  pre¬ 
vented  for  the  work  in  hand.  Thus,  bodily  and  mentally, 
the  links  are  completed  that  enable  us  to  build  up,  step  by 
step,  the  complete  result,  which  is  called  a  “Control.”  ’ 
When  we  remember  that  the  more  nearly  the  spirit  and 
medium  approach,  or  resemble  each  other  mentally  and 
morally — the  more  perfect  the  psychic  sympathy;  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


199 


more  rhythmic  the  magnetic  vibrations — the  more  success¬ 
ful  will  be  the  transferences  and  inspirations  enjoyed  by 
the  sensitive,  we  shall  see  how  difficult  it  becomes  to  elimi¬ 
nate  the  influence  of  the  medium  from  the  results.  The 
character  and  quality  of  his  psychic  sphere  must,  to  a  large 
extent,  determine  the  nature  of  the  manifestations,  and 
where  mutual  sympathies  and  aspirations  constitute  the 
basis  of  rapport,  or  union,  _the  blended  forces  of  spirit  and 
sensitive  will  be  so  harmonized  that  it  will  be  well-nigh 
impossible  even  for  the  sensitive  to  say  exactly  where  he 
leaves  off  and  where  the  spirit  begins.  So  long  as  no 
definite  claim  is  made  that  the  communications  emanate 
from  a  given  individual  in  the  other  state,  they  can  be 
taken  for  what  they  are  worth  on  general  grounds,  and 
allowance  can  be  made  for  the  well-known  fact  that  me¬ 
diums  of  necessity  give  a  tone  and  color  to  the  expressions 
made  through  them,  just  as  the  character  and  quality  of 
the  instrument  affects  the  music  that  is  produced  by  its 

means. 

Mediums  should  remember  that  self-dissection,  intense 
anxiety,  desire  for  success,  are  bad  conditions,  and  induce 
morbid  self-consciousness,  whereas  the  aim  of  the  seeker 
after  spirit  guidance  and  soul-unfoldment  must  be  to  forget 
self,  and,  for  the  time  at  least,  to  be  regardless  of  suc¬ 
cess  or  failure — neither  anxious  nor  afraid,  but  absorbed 
in  the  process  of  receiving  and  transmitting  the  message. *  * 
Just  so  soon  as  the  sensitive  wants  to  succeed ,  he  is  liable  to  j 
lose  touch  with  the  spirit,  his  own  mind  begins  to  work, 
and  his  own  thoughts  may  be  mixed  up  with  those  of  the 
control,  and  confusion  result. 

SHOULD  MEDIUMS  BE  PAID? 

There  are,  unfortunately,  very  few  developed  me¬ 
diums  compared  with  the  hosts  of  inquirers.  There  are 

*  ‘When  we  are  anxious  or  impatient  we  become  intellectually 
positive  and  then  e.rliale  a  magnetic  atmosphere  while  we  inhale  the 
necessary  electric  emanations  which  rapidly  exhaust  the  presiding 
medium,  and  the  communications  are  thereby  deranged,  becoming, 
as  many  persons  have  frequently  observed,  contradictory  and  con¬ 
fused.’ — A.  J.  Davis,  in  'The  Philosophy  of  Spiritual  Intercourse.’ 


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A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


too  few  ‘home  circles’  for  the  cultivation  of  mediumsliip 
for  friendly  intercourse  with  relatives  and  loved  ones ;  and 
the  tests  sought  from  professional  mediums  are  too  often 
of  a  business  or  personal  character  instead  of  such 
evidences  of  identity  as  might  be  expected  during  an  hour’s 
sweet  interchange  of  thoughts.  It  is  generally  felt  that 
mediums  should  earn  their  livelihood  and  devote  only  their 
few  hours  of  leisure  to  the  study  and  cultivation  of  their 
mediumship,  and  yet  they  are  expected,  with  spent  forces 
and  tired  brains,  to  be  well-tuned  instruments  for  spirits 
to  operate  upon !  Strong  prejudices  are  felt  by  many  peo¬ 
ple  against  ‘paid  mediums,’  but  we  cannot  see  why!  If 
the  medium  is  sincere  and  earnest;  if  he  devotes  his  time 
and  energies  to  the  service  of  his  clients ;  if  he  is  not  a 
mere  ‘hireling’  (working  solely  for  a  fee),  but  one  who 
loves  his  work  and  desires  to  do  good,  why  should  he  not 
be  paid,  and  well-paid,  too,  so  that  he  may  be  above  the 
financial  disturbances  which  would  unfit  him  for  his  office? 

Those  who  think  mediumship  too  sacred  for  everyday 
life  should  do  with  mediums  as  the  ancients  did  with  their 
oracles — keep  them,  and  surround  them  with  good,  time 
and  happy  conditions.  Until  that  is  done,  and  mediums 
are  lifted  out  of  the  turmoil  where  they  have  to  earn  their 
daily  bread,  it  must  be  manifest  to  unprejudiced  people 
that  if  they  devote  their  strength  and  service  to  the  work, 
they  are  worthy  of  support. 

To  those  of  our  fellow-sensitives  who  feel  the  ‘call  of 
the  spirit’  to  go  forth  and  preach  the  gospel,  heal  the  sick, 
and  comfort  the  bereaved,  we  would  say,  ‘Magnify  your 
office ;  do  your  utmost  to  perfect  your  powers ;  try  to  make 
progress  and  render  yourself  fit  for  the  work  you  have  to 
do,  that  it  may  be  well  and  worthily  performed ;  and  at 
the  “highest  and  the  best.”  ’ 

To  be  a  successful  public  medium  you  will  need  to  live 
for  it,  and  devote  your  time  and  thought  to  the  duties 
of  your  office  just  the  same  as  does  the  artist,  author,  law¬ 
yer,  doetor,  and  preacher,  and,  like  them,  you  are  justified 
in  living  by  it. 

All  experience  goes  to  show  that  mediumship  should 
be  sought  for  the  good  that  it  can  do  in  many  ways  when 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


201 


unselfishly  used,  and  those  who  possess  it  should  seek  to 
improve  and  perfect  it  by  studying  and  obeying  its  laws, 
and  by  earnest  self-culture,  physically,  morally  and  spir¬ 
itually.  Be  good,  so  as  to  get  good,  with  which  to  do  good. 

True  mediumship  leads  to  the  development  of  a  strong 
character;  to  healthy,  harmonious  and  rational  manhood 
and  womanhood ;  and  true  sensitiveness  leads  to  sensibility 
and  to  a  rational,  intelligent,  and  religious  life.  Nothing 
of  real  value  can  be  obtained  without  effort  or  costly  sacrifice. 
But  is  not  the  attainment  of  communion  with  wrise  and  loving 
spirits  an  adequate  inducement  to  you,  apart  from  the  pleas¬ 
ure  incidental  to  the  progressive  harmonization  of  both  mind 
and  body? 

There  is,  we  believe,  a  continual  influx  from  the  other 
side.  Many  people,  who  arc  externally  oblivious  of  the  fact, 
are  undoubtedly  frequently  impelled  and  compelled  to  cer¬ 
tain  courses  of  conduct  by  spirits.  Artistic,  sensitive  per¬ 
sons — teachers,  preachers,  authors,  composers,  inventors — 
aye,  most  people  who  feel  and  see  and  are  awake  on  the  inte¬ 
rior  side  of  their  nature — are  the  instruments  for  expressing 
the  thoughts  and  purposes  of  inspirers  from  the  spirit  side 
to  an  extent  which  will  astonish  most  of  us  when  we  learn 
the  truth  ‘  over  there.  ’ 

It  is,  perhaps,  only  our  density  and  our  unconsciously 
materialistic  modes  of  thought  that  make  it  necessary  for 
us  to  require  ‘control,’  and  demand  sensuous  or  other  ‘test’ 
evidences  of  the  association  and  influence  of  spirit  people. 
Spirit  speaks  to  spirit,  and  true  ‘spirit-communion’  (or 
community  of  feeling  and  purpose,  thought  and  desire)  has 
yet  to  be  achieved.  Some  few  sweet,  serene,  spiritually- 
minded  souls  have  possibly  entered  into  this  realm,  but  the 
bulk  of  the  race  are  still  on  the  exterior,  and  are  largely 
children  of  the  senses  rather  than  the  spirit.  We  shall,  how¬ 
ever,  deal  with  the  voluntary  and  personal  cultivation  of 
psychic  powers  in  the  concluding  portion  of  this  work 
(Part  III.),  to  which  we  refer  the  I’eader.  There  is  no  need 
to  extol  mediumship  at  the  expense  of  psychical  self-devel¬ 
opment,  or  to  uphold  personal  and  conscious  unfoldment 
and  depreciate  mediumistic  culture,  for  the  one  frequently 
leads  to,  and  merges  into,  the  other. 


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A  Guide  to  Medium-ship 


THE  SPIRITUALISM  OF  THE  TWENTIETH  CENTURY. 

The  great  distinctive  feature  which  will  differentiate 
the  Spiritualism  of  the  twentieth  century  from  that  of  the 
past  fifty  years  will  be  this  very  change  of  attitude.  In¬ 
stead  of  living  in  the  basement  of  the  sense-self,  the  coming 
man  and  woman  will  naturally  ascend  to  the  psychic 
plane  and  throw  wide  the  windows  that  open  heavenward. 
The  thoughts  of  welcome  having  overcome  the  feelings  of 
fear,  the  visitants  from  the  spirit  realms  will  naturally 
find  readier  means  of  reaching  the  soul  consciousness  of 
sensitives  and  of  transmitting  through  them  fuller  evi¬ 
dences  of  their  intelligence  and  identity  than  was  possible 
in  the  old  days. 

The  right  ‘attitude’  is  beautifully  expressed  in  the 
lines — 

‘Lie  open,  Soul!  the  great,  the  wise 
About  thy  portal  throng; 

The  wealth  of  souls  before  thee  lies, 

Their  gifts  to  thee  belong. 

Lie  open,  Soul!  the  angels  wise 
Will  inspirations  give: 

Oh,  let  your  aspirations  rise, 

That  rightly  you  may  live  ‘ 


A  GUIDE  TO  MEDIUMSHIP 

AND  PSYCHICAL  UNFOLDMENT 


BY 

E.  W.  AND  M.  H.  WALL.jS 
3n  Shirr  Par  1a 


PART  III. 

PHYSICAL  SELF-CULTURE. 


'That  serene  and  blessed  mood, 
fn  which  the  affections  gently  lead  us  on, — 
Until  the  breath  of  this  corporeal  frame, 

And  even  the  motion  of  our  human  blood 
Almost  suspended,  we  are  laid  asleep 
In  body,  and  become  a  living  soul ; 

While  with  an  eye  made  quiet  by  the  power 
Of  harmony,  and  the  deep  power  of  joy, 

We  see  into  the  life  of  things.’ 

Wordsworth. 

The  Occult  Publishing  House 
Chicago,  III. 


MAN  S  POSSIBILITIES. 


‘There  is  no  summit  you  may  not  attain, 

No  purpose  which  you  may  not  yet  achieve 
If  you  will  wait  serenely,  and  believe 

Each  seeming  loss  is  but  a  step  toward  gain. 

‘Between  the  mountain  tops  lie  vale  and  plain, 
Let  nothing  make  you  question,  doubt  or  grieve ; 
Give  only  good,  and  good  alone  receive: 

And  as  you  welcome  joy,  so  welcome  pain. 

‘That  which  you  most  desire  awaits  your  word; 
Throw  wide  the  door  and  bid  it  enter  in. 

Speak,  and  the  strong  vibrations  shall  be  stirred ; 

Speak,  and  above  earth’s  loud,  unmeaning  din 
Your  silent  declarations  shall  be  heard. 

All  things  are  possible  to  God’s  own  kin.- 

Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  preceding  Parts  of  this  Guide  were  devoted  almost 
exclusively  to  the  consideration  of  the  development  of  sen¬ 
sitiveness  under  the  influence  and  guidance  of  spirit  people. 

We  now  address  those  who  desire  to  cultivate  suscep¬ 
tibility  to  psychical  conditions  and  to  consciously  realize 
their  relations  to  the  great  unseen  realm  of  ‘principalities 
and  powers.’  As  self-knowledge,  self-reliance,  self-mastery, 
and  self-expression  are  all  involved  in  psychical  self-cul- 
ture,  the  powers  of  concentration  and  psychical  penetra¬ 
tion,  insight,  and  conscious  cognition  should  not  be  sought 
for  the  gratification  of  curiosity  or  for  the  purpose  of 
money-making.  No  really  permanent  spiritual  develop¬ 
ment  can  be  attained  by  merely  experimenting  in  thought- 
transference,  psychomctry,  and  clairvoyance ;  but  perse¬ 
vering  effort  to  reach  the  ‘superior  condition’  of  lucidity 
will  be  helpful  to  those  who  sincerely  aspire  for  spiritual 
illumination  and  the  opening  of  their  inner  powers  of  per¬ 
ception. 

Between  the  animals  and  the  angels  we  face  two  worlds, 
and  may  grovel  or  grow,  sink  or  soar,  according  to  our  at¬ 
titude  and  desires.  We  find  what  we  seek,  and  in  so  doing 
reveal  ourselves.  Our  estimate  of  our  nature  and  powers 
is  exemplified  in  our  character.  With  confidence,  hope,  and 
love  in  our  hearts  we  look  upwards,  find  good  everywhere, 
and  press  forward  with  deep  convictions  and  overcoming 
will.  But  he  who  doubts,  worries  and  mistrusts,  dwells  in 
gloom;  he  glances  downwards,  trembles,  and  loses  faith  in 
himself.  How  true  it  is  that  ‘as  a  man  thinks  in  his  heart 
so  is  he.’ 

We  have  set  down  our  best  thoughts  and  have  incor¬ 
porated  those  which  have  come  to  us  from  our  spirit  pre¬ 
ceptors.  We  have  laid  many  writers  under  contribution 
for  helpful  advice  and  suggestions,  and  we  commend  this 
work  to  the  kindly  and  thoughtful  consideration  of  all  who 
seek  for  spiritual  self-knowledge  and  self-possession. 

To  the  extent  that  the  reader  is  assisted  to  be  strong, 
self-reliant,  optimistic  and  affirmative — a  radiant  center  of 
psychical  force  of  health  and  cheer — and  by  his  example 
exerts  an  influence  for  good  as  a  result  of  his  spiritual  un¬ 
folding  and  altruistic  service  to  humanity,  our  purpose  will 
be  fulfilled.  E.  W.  and  M.  H.  Wallis. 


PART  III. 

CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I. — The  Soul  and  Its  Powers  . 207 

II. — Mediumship  and  Psychical  Susceptibility  .  .  220 

III.  — Mystical,  Occult,  and  Magical  Powers  .  .  .  229 

IV.  — Psychical  and  Mental  Culture . 242 

V. — Psychometry,  Clairvoyance  and  Healing  .  .  255 

VI. — Practical  Instructions  fob  Psychical  Unfold- 

ment . 271 

VII.— The  Spiritual  Significance  ......  295 


PART  III 


PHYSICAL  SELF-CULTURE 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  SOUE  AND  ITS  DOWERS. 

We  must  not  for  a  moment  forget  that  nian  is  a  spirit, 
differing  only  from  the  spirit  after  the  death  of  the  body, 
by  the  necessities  and  limitations  of  its  physical  connection. 
As  such,  it  is  capable  within  such  limitations  of  manifest¬ 
ing  the  phenomena  of  spirit. — Hudson  Tuttle. 

EeFall  who  will,  learn  that  they  themselves  are  the  re¬ 
positories  of  all  force,  and  that  wisdom  may  convert  that, 
force  into  power,  the  first  use  of  which  is  to  render  them- 
selves  sefLgoverning  and  symmetrical. — B.  G.  E. 

The  tendency  towards  the  materialistic  interpretation 
of  the  phenomena  of  life  and  consciousness,  which  seemed 
likely  to  carry  all  before  it  some  fifty  years  ago,  has  been 
checked,  in  a  large  measure,  we  believe,  as  the  result  of  the 
persistent  recurrence  of  the  phenomena  associated  with  me- 
diumship,  and  physical  scientists  are  turning  their  atten¬ 
tion  with  increasing  success  to  the  exploration  of  the  un¬ 
seen  realm  of  force  that  exists  behind  what  we  call  matter. 

In  his  Presidential  address  at  the  meeting  of  the  British 
Association  of  Science  at  Bristol,  in  1898,  Sir  William 
Crookes  stated  that  he  would  like  to  reverse  the  famous 
apothegm  of  his  predecessor,  Professor  Tyndal  (who 
said  that  he  ‘found  in  matter  the  promise  and  potency 
of  every  form  of  terrestrial  life’),  and  say  instead,  ‘In 
Life  I  see  the  promise  and  potency  of  all  forms  of  mat - 


208 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


ter,”  and  this  may  be  taken  to  fairly  represent  the  change 
of  attitude  from  that  of  the  materialist  to  that  of  the 
philosophical  Spiritualist. 

LIFE  THE  ORGANIZER. 

The  word  Life  is  frequently  used  synonymously  with 
spirit,  and  thinkers  are  beginning  to  realize  that  all  positive. 
creative,  or  organizing  force  is  Spirit ;  that,  in  fact.  Life  is 
Spirit  in  operation ;  living  forms  are  organized  life.  Bodies 
do  not  beget  Spirit,  but  are  the  results  of  the  activities  of 
Spirit.  Thus  all  formative  power  is  spiritual.  Life  acts 
from  within  outwards.  The  kingdom  of  power,  possibility, 
and  realization  (of  Heaven)  is  within. 

The  people  of  the  religious  world  are  being  caught  in 
the  prevailing  thought-currents  which  are  impelling  them 
onward  to  the  recognition  of  the  spiritual  nature  of  man 
and  the  immanence  of  the  Spirit  of  the  universe.  Thus 
the  materialists,  literalists  and  formalists  are  all  being  car¬ 
ried  behind  the  veil  of  the  seen  to  the  realm  of  the  real,  and 
the  old  mechanical  methods  of  interpretation  of  the  phe¬ 
nomena  of  Nature  and  of  consciousness — of  manifestation 
and  of  expression — are  being  rapidly  revolutionized. 

MAN  A  TRIUNE  BEING. 

By  their  phenomenal  manifestations  spirit  people  have 
demonstrated  that  man  is  a  spirit,  acting  upon,  and  func¬ 
tioning  through,  the  physical  brain  and  body  by  means  of 
the  intermediate  agency  of  a  spiritual  body,  or  psychical 
organism — sometimes  denominated  the  ‘astral  body.’ 
While  the  physical  form  is  a  microcosm,  containing,  rep¬ 
resentatively,  all  the  forces  and  substances  of  the  world 
to  which  it  belongs,  the  spiritual  body— or  soul — is  the  vi¬ 
talizing  arch-typal  form  which  preserves  the  integrity  of 
the  outer  organism  in  spite  of  the  disintegration  and  re¬ 
newal  which  are  continually  going  on  in  its  constituent 
elements. 

The  spirit  (Ego)  is  the  real  self — the  center  of  con- 
seiousness,  power,  thought,  and  emotion — an  Intelligence, 
becoming  aware  of  its  own  nature  and  powers  but  always 
above  its  own  comprehension. 


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A  Guide  lo  Mediumskip 

The  soul,  or  the  spirit’s  body,  has  frequently  been  seen  ( 
by  clairvoyants,  and  has  been  described  as  ‘the  counterpart 
of,  or  a  silver  lining  to,  the  physical  form.’  It  is  the  agent 
immediately  employed  by  the  spirit  in  all  reception  of 
sensations  from,  and  the  expression  of  its  thoughts,  feel¬ 
ings,  and  purposes  on,  the  outer  plane. 

M.  Gabriel  Delanne  uses  the  term  ‘perisprit’  to  in- 
dicate  this"  inner  organism,  which,  he  says,  is  composed  of 
matter  more~Tarefied  than  ether.  .  .  ‘The  existence  of 

this  perisprit, — of  this  double  of  the  body,  was  known  to 
the  Greeks,  who  called  it  UTdolon;  to  St.  Paul,  who  called 
it  “the  spiritual  body”;  to  the  Egyptians,  who  named  it 
7Ta  or  Bai,  and  to  the  alchemists  and  others.  .  .  The 
perisprit  is  the  model  of  the  bod3r,  and  contains  the  immu¬ 
table  "design  of  every  part  of  the  organism;  .  .  the 

nervous  force  being  precisely  the  intermediary  by  winch 
tile  sensations  act  upon  the  perisprit.  .  .  To-day,  science 

has  established  an  intimate,  an  absolute  co-relation  be¬ 
tween  physiology  and  psychology  and  Spiritualism,  and 
by  demonstrating  the  existence  of  the  perisprit,  has  shed 
an  intense  light  on  the  problem  of  the  soul.  Thanks  to 
this  imponderable  fluidic  envelope,  all  recollections  are 
tixed  in  this  imperishable  body.  ’ 

SPIRIT  AND  SOUL.  , 

The  terms  spirit  and  soul  are  frequently  used  inter¬ 
changeably  by  theologians  to  designate  the  inner  individual 
who  survives  physical  death,  but  as  Mr.  St.  George  Stock 
says,  ‘The  trichotomy,  in  the  ascending  order  of  body,  soul, 
and  spirit,  is  the  genuine  doctrine  of  Spiritualism.’  He 
also  states  that  ‘the  word  “soul”  was  employed  by  our 

translators  of  the  Bible  to  render - ;Jhe  word  “spirit” 

Being""  reserved  for  the  Greek - ,  with  which  it  is 

synonymous.  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  the  sense  of 
the  "words  in  Christian  psychology’;  and  Mr.  Desmond  G. 
Fitz-Gerald  has  quoted  a  very  apt  passage  from  Justin 


210 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


Martyr:  ‘The  body  is  the  house  of  the  soul,  and  the  soul 
is  the  house  of  the  spirit.’  * 

Dr.  Alfred  Russel  Wallace  affirms  that  ‘Spiritualism 
shows  us  that  mind  may  exist  without  brain  (physical)  and 
disconnected  from  any  material  body  that  we  can  detect.  ’ 

Psychical  phenomena  demonstrate  the  existence  of  the 
interior  subtile  body,  with  its  own  avenues  of  conscious¬ 
ness  and  expression,  which  not  only  exists  apart  from  the 
physical  body  after  death,  but  is  present  and  active  within 
that  body,  and  show  that  under  certain  conditions  it  may 
be  liberated  and  employ  its  faculties  so  as  to  see  sights  and 
hear  sounds;  aye,  feel,  taste,  and  smell  things  which  escape 
the  physical  senses,  and  which,  but  for  these  powers  of  di¬ 
rect  perception  by  the  spiritual  consciousness,  would  re¬ 
main  unknown  and  practically  non-existent. 

PHYSICAL  AND  SPIRITUAL. 

The  employment  of  the  words  ‘physical’  and  ‘spir¬ 
itual,’  as  though  they  were  anithetical,  is  misleading.  This 
is  equally  true  as  regards  the  terms  ‘Materialism’  and 
‘Spiritualism’ — for  matter  and  spirit  are  not  opposites, 
nor  are  they  foes,  and  these  ‘isms’  are  merely  the  attempts 
ofThinkers  to  elucidate  the  facts  of  existence  as  they  ap¬ 
peal"  to  their  consciousness.  There  is  truth  in  both;  but 
when  either  ‘ism’  is  advocated  as  covering  the  whole 
ground,  to  the  exclusion,  of  the  other,  trouble  begins. 

We  may  safely  claim  that  matter  is — but  what  it  is  has 
yet  to  be  ascertained;  still,  for  all  practical  purposes,  we 
know  it  by  its  phenomena,  and  it  is  real  enough  to  us;  let 
us  not,  however,  mistake  our  impressions  and  sensations 

*  Andrew  Jackson  Davis  says :  ‘Spirit  is  all  in  all,  and  is  not 
subject  to  imperfection  or  disease;  Soul,  the  intermedial  reservoir 
of  psychical  potencies,  is  subject  to  ethers,  fluids,  foods,  time,  space, 
motion,  temperature,  temptation,  disorder,  disease,  and  the  change 
termed  death ;  the  body,  the  outermost  material  garment,  evolved 
from  the  soul  elements,  is  subject  by  induction  to  each  and  every 
I  condition  and  alteration  which  is  natural  to  and  Inseparable  from 
the  soul — in  this  rudimental  sphere.’ 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


211 

regarding  it  for  the  absolute  truth.  ‘The  fundamental  ba¬ 
sis  of  all  occult  science,’  says  a  thoughtful  writer,  ‘is  that 
there  is  but  one  essence,  and  that  all  things — concrete  mat¬ 
ter  in  its  various  manifestations,  force,  thought,  and 
spirit— are  but  different  forms  of  this  cosmic  matter,  the 
difference  consisting  in  the  distance  separating  the  mole¬ 
cules  and  in  their  arrangement.’ 

MATTER  AND  MIND. 

Some  metaphysicians  tell  us  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  matter,  all  is  mind,  or  Spirit.  From  one  point  of  view 
that  may  be  perfectly  true;  but  the  body — bones,  brawn, 
blood,  brains,  breath,  and  all — is  a  real  existence,  for  there 
is  a  something  which  we  think  we  possess  and  use ;  a  some¬ 
thing  that  answers  to  our  will,  and  impresses  our  conscious¬ 
ness — it  is  therefore,  for  all  practical  purposes,  a  real 
body,  and  has  to  be  treated  as  such.  We  may  know  that 
the  color  is  not  in  the  rose — all  the  same  we  think  and 
speak  of  roses  being  red  or  white,  or  of  some  other  hue, 
and  we  recognize  that  they  exist  externally  to  ourselves.  It 
will  be  wrell,  therefore,  to  be  on  our  guard  against  being 
carried  away  by  metaphysical  subtleties  and  getting  be¬ 
yond  our  depth.  While  we  are  in  this  world  wre  must  pre¬ 
serve  our  relations  to  our  environing  conditions ;  it  will  be 
time  enough  for  us  to  spurn  them  and  rise  superior  to  the 
sense-world — when  we  have  done  with  it!  In  tne  mean¬ 
time  we  are  here,  and  our  problem  is,  how  to  make  the  best 
use  of  our  powers  and  opportunities. 

SPIRIT  THE  CAUSE,  BODY  THE  RESULT. 

If  it  be  true  that  all  bodies  grow  as  the  result  of  the 
formative  power  of  the  indwelling  life  which  calls  them 
into  being  and  maintains  their  existence,  then  our  physical 
organisms  may  fairly  be  regarded  as  ‘materialized  forms’; 
'more  enduring,  it  is  true,  than  those  which  are  sometimes 
observed  in  the  seance  chamber,  but  just  as  certainly  man¬ 
ifestations  of  spirit  power.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  phy¬ 
sical  life  is  a  phenomenal  expression  of  spirit,  and  that  this 
Is  a  spirit  world-— the  first  stage  in  our  career  as  conscious 


212 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


entities — and  that  we  are  spirits  clothed  upon  with  ‘forms,’ 
which  are  vitalized  and  governed  by  our  soul-forces,  more 
or  less  consciously  and  intelligently  employed. 

This  world,  then,  is  a  spirit-sphere,  its  laws  and  forces 
are  spiritual,  and  therefore  physical  and  spiritual  condi¬ 
tions  are  but  varied  aspects  of  the  same  facts.  Physical 
and  spiritual  forces  are  not  antagonistic  but  complemen¬ 
tary:  they  are  not  antipathetic  but  may  be  regarded  as 
different  phases  of  the  one  great  existence.  Viewed  from 
one  standpoint,  we  see  the  material,  viewed  from,  the  other 
>ye  see  the  spiritual ;  both  views  are  correct  as  far  as  they 
go,  but  when  we  are  no  longer  misled  by  ‘appearances’  we 
recognize  that  which  is,  and  realize  the  Oneness,  Order,  and 
Beauty  of  Life,  as  expressed  in  the  diverse  modes  of  mani¬ 
festation  with  which  we  are  familiar. 

ALL  CULTURE  REALLY  PSYCHICAL. 

When  we  speak  of  psychical  self-culture,  then,  we  must 
bear  in  mind  that  all  culture  is  psychical ;  it  is  the  result 
of  the  study,  concentration,  and  use  of  our  natural  powers, 
and  involves  conscious  and  persistent  effort.  There  jean  be 
no  culture  without  intelligent  observation,  application,  and 
volition,  and  as  these  activities  belong  to  the  spirit,  the  re¬ 
sults  on  all  planes — physical,  mental,  and  moral — are  due 
to  psychical  activity,  voluntarily  exercised  by  the  indi¬ 
vidual  who  desires  to  know  himself  and  enjoy  the  fruits 
of  his  efforts. 

As  the  spirit  is  dependent  upon  the  brain  and  body, 
through  the  spiritual  organism,  for  its  sensations,  the  mani¬ 
festation  of  its  consciousness,  the  exercise  of  its  power,  and 
the  gratification  of  its  desires  on  the  sensuous  plane;  the 
cultivation  of  the  physical  body,  the  preservation  of  health, 
and  the  improvement  of  organic  conditions,  will  all  come 
under  the  head  of  ‘psychical  self-culture.’  For  a  sound 
body  is  needed  through  which  a  sound  mind  may  operate, 
and  physical  cleanliness,  equally  as  much  as  moral  purity, 
is  next  to  godliness.  It  is  well  known  that  the  athlete,  to 
secure  the  best  results  from  his  efforts,  must  put  his  mind 
and  will  into  his  work,  and  it  is  therefore  clearly  apparent 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


213 


that  physical  and  psychical  conditions  are  so  intimately  re¬ 
lated  that  they  cannot  be  divorced,  and  that  neither  body 
nor  mind  can  be  neglected  or  misused  without  injury  to 
froth!  True  self-realization  can  only  be  attained  through 
the  healthy  development  of  the  instrument  through  which 
we  have  to  operate  to  become  conscious  of  our  true  nature, 
and  make  manifest  our  interior  attributes.  We  need, 
therefore,  to  reverence  and  use  our  bodies,  not  neglect,  con¬ 
temn,  or  despitefully  treat  them,  for  what  they  are  they 
are,  because  of,  and  resulting  from,  the  psychical  powers 
inherent  in  the  Spirit. 

DEFINITIONS  ARE  DANGEROUS. 

Definitions  which  divide  and  specialize  need  careful 
watching.  The  phrenologist  who  maps  out  the  brain  and 
feels  for  bumps,  who  apportions  specific  functions  to  special 
organs,  it  not  likely  to  prove  a  succesful  character- reader 
unless  he  allows  for  the  fact  that  the  mind,  as  a  whole,  is 
expressed  through  the  agency  of  the  brain  and  bod}',  as  a 
whole.  If  he  does  not  recognize  that  there  are  interacting 
and  reacting  influences  and  conditions,  both  physical  and 
spiritual,  winch  affect  and  modify  the  special,  or  depart¬ 
mental,  processes  of  the  various  organs,  he  will  give  but  a 
superficial  reading  of  his  ‘subject.’  After  all,  spiritual 
states  must  be  spiritually  discerned,  and  he  must  not  only 
feel  bumps  and  consider  physioligical  processes  but  sym¬ 
pathetically  feel,  ‘sense,’  or  intuitively  cognize  mental  and 
psychical  forces  and  qualities. 

‘seven  souls’  or  one. 

For  the  purposes  of  analysis  and  comprehension  it  may 
be  legitimate  to  speak  of  man’s  ‘seven  principles,’  or  ‘seven 
souls’  (or  even  ten  or  twelve  souls),  just  as  we  recognize 
that  the  body  has  its  several  parts — its  bony  framework,  its 
muscular,  arterial,  nervous  and  other  ‘systems’  and  organs, 
with  their  respective  functions,  but  these  do  not  and  can¬ 
not  exist  and  live  separately  from  each  other;  they  are  the 
‘parts’  that  go  to  make  up  the  ‘whole.’  Similarly,  we  may 
speak  of  man’s  ‘selfish  animal  propensities,’  his  ‘intellec¬ 
tual  faculties,’  his  'moral  and  religious  sentiments,’  but 


214 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


these  cannot  be  separated  save  for  the  purposes  of  argu¬ 
ment,  or  thought,  regarding  them.  Consciousness  and  in¬ 
telligence  and  moral  values  are  involved  in  them  all — the 
very  term  selfish  animal  propensities  implies  the  moral 
standard  of  judgment.  In  the  same  way  we  hear  of  people 
who  have  ‘too  much  head’  and  ‘too  little  heart,’  and  of 
others  who  are  ‘soft-hearted’  or  ‘ royal-souled, ’  and  fre¬ 
quently  the  man  of  heart  or  emotion  is  extolled  and  the 
hard-headed,  cold-hearted  scientist  is  condemned:  but  all 
these  emotions,  tendencies,  and  activities  are  states  of  con¬ 
sciousness  in  the  individual  who  expresses  them ;  they  are 
not  separate  and  distinct  compartments  of  his  mentality 
but  are  inter  related,  not  independent— consequently,  while 
controversialists  and  analysts  may  dispute  as  to  which  is 
best,  highest,  or  most  spiritual,  we  may  recognize  that  they 
are  correlated  and  that  consciousness  synthesises  all  the 
modes  of  manifestation  by  which  the  Intelligent  Operator 
seeks  self-comprehension  and  self-expression  by  self-educa¬ 
tion. 

THE  PROBLEM  OF  CONSCIOUSNESS. 

The  psychological  vivisectionist  in  a  similar  fashion  en¬ 
deavors  to  dissect  the  human  consciousness  and  discourses 
of  ‘sub’  and  ‘supra’  liminal  consciousness;  of  the  ‘subjec¬ 
tive?  inner  as  distinguished  from  the  ordinary,  everyday 
‘objective’  self-consciousness;  and,  dealing  with  the  more 
or  less  abnormal  and  fragmentary  mental  expressions  of 
diseased  persons,  classifies  the  aberrations  which  they  pre¬ 
sent  for  his  observation,  and  talks  glibly  of  ‘multiple  per¬ 
sonalities’;  but  we  need  to  be  on  our  guard  against  sup¬ 
posing  that  the  arrested,  or  broken,  expressions  of  the  psy¬ 
chical  self  of  a  limited  number  of  unbalanced  people  are 
proofs  that  the  normal  man  or  woman  is  a  congeries  of 
personalities — or  distinct  individualities. 

The  well-informed  student  of  Spiritualism  is  aware  of 
the  fact  that  mediums  are  frequently  controlled  by  a  num¬ 
ber  of  different  spirits  who  display  istinct  individual  char¬ 
acteristics,  and  he  will  hardly  be  prepared  to  admit  that 
they  are  merely  phases  of  the  multiple  personalities  of  the 
sensitive  that  indulge  in  ‘play  acting,’  and  falsely  assert 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


215 


themselves  to  be  discarnate  human  beings.  He  will  nat¬ 
urally  ask,  if  the  sub-conscious  self  is  conscienceless,  how 
does  it  happen  that  mesmerists  and  hypnotists  assure  us 
that  when  their  subjects  are  in  the  somnambulic  state  they 
are  more  than  ordinarily  affirmatively  moral  and  reliable, 
and  sternly  repel  suggestions  of  an  immoral  or  untruthful 
character?*  He  will  inquire  clear  and  convincing  proofs 
before  he  believes  that  man  is  a  bundle  of  personalities, 
more  or  less  distinct  and  ignorant  of  each  other’s  existence, 
and  that  the  subliminal  self,  or  the  supraliminal  self,  is 
an  unmitigated  liar,  as  he  must  assuredly  be  if  he  is  the 
sole  source  of  communications  which  purport  to  be  of 
spirit  origin. 

EACH  ONE  LIVES  IN  HIS  OWN  WORLD. 

The  ordinary  conscious  mind  of  daily  life  may  be  re¬ 
garded  as  the  sensuous  and  intellectual  consciousness,  re¬ 
inforced  and  illuminated  to  some  extent  by  the  occasional 
glimpses  it-gets-of.  the  inner  spiritual  consciousness.  We 
may  live  in  the  animal  self,  with  a  good  deal  of  intellectual 
activity  on  the  external  plane,  and  be  almost  entirely  un¬ 
aware  of  our  interior  psychical  consciousness.  Not  only 
so,  but  we  always  live,  in  the  court  of  our  own  individ¬ 
uality,  in  a  world  of  our  own.  No  one  else  can  enter  into 
it  or  understand  us,  see  as  we  see,  feel  as  we  feel,  or  realize 
as  we  do.  In  fact,  we  only  partially  know  ourselves.  We 
cannot  fully  comprehend  our  own  mental,  moral,  and  psy¬ 
chical  emotions  and  desires,  and  for  the  most  part  we  have 
too  exclusively  devoted  time  and  thought  to  acquiring 
knowledge  of  our  sensations  of  external  things,  and  have 
neglected  to  cultivate  our  intuitions  and  trust  the  voice  of 
the  spirit  within.  Theodore  Parker  has  well  said:  ‘There 

*  Here  is  what  au  American  author  says  on  this  point :  ‘Under 
hypnosis  a  subject  may  be  made  to  do  things  that  are  ridiculous, 
absurd,  or  funny,  but  never  anything  that  is  an  absolute  detriment 
to  himself,  for  the  subjective  mind  is  always  on  the  alert  for  the 
welfare  of  the  individual,  and  in  that  state  he  is  more  keenly  awake 
to  receive  impressions  for  good,  and  therefore  is  better  guarded  than 
in  the  waking  state.’ 


216 


dL  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


are  practically  four  sources  of  knowledge — direct  and  in¬ 
direct,  primary  and  secondary — viz:  Perception  for  sen¬ 
sible  things;  Intuition  for  spiritual  things;  Reflection  for 
logical  things ;  and  Testimony  for  historical  things.  ’ 

Professor  Loveland  says  there  is  a  duality  of  mental 
action  and  manifestation  which  seemingly  indicates  a  du¬ 
ality  of  persons,  but  it  would  be  better  to  say  that  there 
is  a  personal  and  an  impersonal  mind — or  that  there  are 
two  sources  from  which  the  reason  obtains  the  material  for 
thought  formation.  The  impersonal  mind,  he  says,  is  the 
primary,  organic  homogeneous  mind,  that  knows  but  does 
not  know  that  it  knows  or  what  it  does,  and  acts  automati¬ 
cally;  the  personal  consciousness  is  the  intellectual  pro¬ 
gressive  mind  that  knows  that  it  knows  and  is  gradually 
mastering  the  problem  of  how  it  knows.  The  special  is  dif¬ 
ferentiated  from  the  homogeneous,  and  the  primary,  or 
sub  consciousness,  is  impersonal — lacking  self- conscious¬ 
ness,  but  ruling  the  organs  and  functions  of  the  body ;  and 
He  affirms  that,  the  conscious  self  is  beginning  to  compre¬ 
hend  and  appreciate  the  other  self ;  the  intellect  is  learning 
to  translate  the  sensations  of  the  sub-conscious  self,  which 
intuitively  knows  and  feels.  * 

It  is  true  that  the  range  of  our  understanding  of  the 
processes  of  consciousness  is  being  extended,  and  we  are 
learning  to  discriminate  and  select.  We  need  not  respond 
to  the  predominant  impulses  which  we  expei’ience  without 
realizing  their  source  or  significance.  Still,  with  the  best 
desire  in  the  world,  even  under  the  most  harmonious  con¬ 
ditions  and  circumstances,  we  cannot  give  to  others  the 
full  and  true  import  of  our  daily  inner  spiritual  life.  Our 
own  inmost  consciousness  is  our  own,  and  is  incom¬ 
municable. 

CONSCIOUS  CONSCIOUSNESS. 

Speaking  of  the  subliminal  consciousness,  Mr.  St. 
George  Lane  Fox-Pitt  said:  ‘Broadly,  it  might  be  said  to 
include  that  overshadowing  destiny  of  the  individual  with 
all  its  immense  ramifications  and  affinities,  as  well  as  that 


*  ‘Essay  on  Mediumship.’ 


A  Guide  to  Mediuimship 


217 


mere  fragment  of  its  potentiality  which  happened  to  come 
under  observation  on  some  particular  occasion.  One  func¬ 
tion  of  the  subliminal  mind  was  comparable  to  that  of  a 
reservoir  for  the  conscious  self — to  take  in  and  give  out 
memories  and  influences,  increasing  the  resources  and  pre¬ 
venting  waste  of  mental  effort?  Surely  this  is  but  another 
way  of  saying  that  there  exists  a  spirit  which  is  conscious 
of  its  own  consciousness,  and  refers  to  what  the  Spiritualist 
has  been  in  the  habit  of  regarding  as  the  ‘inner’  or  ‘psy¬ 
chical  consciousness,’  or  what  Andrew  Jackson  Davis  calls 
the  ‘superior  condition.’ 

The  Spirit  self  receives  and  unifies  all  impressions,  in¬ 
tuitions,  sensations,  and  presides  over  the  agencies  of  ex¬ 
pression,  and  therefore  the  true  spirit  consciousness  is 
a  unit — a  diamond  with  many  facets,  so  to  speak — flashing 
with  and  reflecting  the  light  from  all  sides  and  from  with¬ 
in  itself.  Horatio  Dresser  thinks  the  most  plausible  theory 
of  the  human  mind  ‘is  that  which  regards  il  as  a  sub-con¬ 
scious  unit,  different  aspects  of  which  are  called  into  con¬ 
sciousness  during  our  waking  hours,  is  somnambulism,  in 
hypnosis,  in  clairvoyance,  clairaudience.  telepathy,  and 
spiritual  illumination.’*  We  are  inclined  to  think  the  as- 
pects  here  referred  to  are  those  which  belong  to  the  higher 
or  supraliminal,  rather  than  the  lower  or  subliminal  states 
of  consciousness — these  latter  being  the  more  automatic  or 
involuntary  processes  whereby  the  normal  mind  is  relieved 
of  the  necessity  of  constantly  keeping  watch  and  ward  over 
the  operations  of  the  bodv. 


SPIRIT  THE  GRAND  REALTY. 

While  it  is  difficult  to  determine  what  are  Involuntary 
and  what  are  voluntary  operations;  what  are  purely  in¬ 
tellectual  processes  and  what  are  sentimental  impulses; 
what  are  immoral  or  moral  motives,  or  whether  they  are 
simply  inunoral ;  what  we  owe  to  heredity,  environment,  or 
education,  and  what  we  originate  and  perform  of  and  from 
ourselves — while,  in  fact,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  how 
far  we  are  creatures  of  environment  and  circumstances,  and 


*  ‘In  Search  of  a  Soul.’ 


218 


A  Guide  to  Mediumslvip 


how  far  we  are  spirits  capable  of  initiating  operations 
and  wielding  forces  that  mould  circumstances  and  de¬ 
termine  our  status — whether  we  shall  succumb  to  circum¬ 
stances  or  create  and  control  them — we  shall  find  that 
a  great  deal  will  depend  upon  our  attitude,  our  view¬ 
point  ;  and  here  the  beauty  and  utility  of  the  spiritual 
philosophy  are  manifest.  If  we  realize  that  Spirit  is  the 
grand  reality,  that  we  are  permanent  amid  the  changing 
elements  of  our  bodies  and  our  kaleidoscopic  circumstances ; 
that  we  educate  our  powers  by  trusting  and  employing 
them ;  that  we  are  intelligent  centers  of  force,  not  blind  un¬ 
conscious  aggregations  of  atoms,  then  we  can  realize  that 
the  purpose  of  Life  here  is  served  by  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge,  the  intelligent  use  of  power,  the  conscious  un¬ 
derstanding,  cultivation,  and  expression  of  inherent  capa¬ 
bilities  and  possibilities ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  the  great 
business  of  life  is  to  live ;  to  secure  all-round  development ; 
to  mould  one ’s  character ;  to  realize  ideals ;  to  win  the 
golden  mean  of  use,  of  rightful  observance,  exercise,  grati¬ 
fication,  and  enjoyment;  to  express  one’s  self,  and  live  the 
normal,  healthful,  happy  life  naturally — as  spontaneously 
as  children ;  to  attain  to  the  thrilling  life  of  self-compre¬ 
hension  and  inward  realization  of  the  liberty  of  the  spirit, 
the  joy  of  being  and  doing  and  the  glad,  conscious  exercise 
of  the  power  of  overcoming  limitations,  of  becoming  free, 
wise,  and  strong  in  altruistic  services  to  the  race.  ‘M.A. 
(Oxon)’  enforced  this  view  when  he  said: — ‘When  we 
learn  to  cherish  Harmony  and  to  love  Peace ;  to  aspire  to  a 
life  of  true  spiritual  vigor  and  health ;  to  regard  the  phe¬ 
nomenal  evidences  of  spirit  action  only  as  the  signs  and 
wonders  that  testify  to  the  inner  working  of  the  inspiring 
and  informing  spirit  that  broods  over  the  waste  waters 
of  our  earthly  life ;  to  avoid  the  depths  where  linger  the 
mist  and  fog  of  earth,  and  to  rise  to  the  heights  where 
we  may  breathe  the  pure  and  invigorating  air  that  braces 
the  spirit  within  us ;  when,  in  brief,  we  lift  our  souls  to 
the  noblest  ideal  that  they  can  grasp,  we  shall  realize,  as 
we  cannot  now,  the  spirit  and  the  truth  of  Spiritualism.’ 
Not  only  so;  we  shall  realize  that  the  ‘Unity  of  the  Spirit’ 
and  the  ‘Brotherhood  of  Man’  are  not  mere  idle  phrases, 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


219 


but  scientific  facts.  That  we  stand  related  to  each  other 
in  the  Divine  order  in  the  closest  and  most  intimate  spir¬ 
itual  sympathy — the  Law  laid  upon  us,  and  working 
through  us,  requires  ‘from  each,  according  to  his  capacity, 
service  to  each  according  to  his  need’;  and  Ella  Wheeler 
Wilcox  has  sweetly  emphasized  the  fact  that  we  are  all 
united  by  the  cord  of  love  on  the  plane  of  universal  being, 
in  the  following  beautiful  lines: — 

‘With  every  impulse,  deed,  or  word, 

Wherein  love  blends  with  duty, 

A  message  speeds  along  the  cord 
That  gives  the  earth  more  beauty. 

Your  unkind  thought,  your  selfish  deed, 

Is  felt  in  farthest  places; 

There  are  no  solitudes  where  greed 
And  wrong  can  hide  their  faces. 

Tlier  are  no  separate  lines;  the  chain, 

Too  subtle  for  our  seeing. 

Unites  us  all  upon  the  plane 
Of  universal  being.’ 


22  U 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


CHAPTER  II. 

MEDIUM  SHIP  AND  PSYCHICAL  SUSCEPTIBILITY. 

Mediumship,  then,  is  a  tutelage  that  leads  you  forward 
from  the  recognition  of  the  fact  that  there  are  possibilities 
in  you  that  others  can  utilize,  to  the  understanding  of  the 
greater"  fact  that  you  can  utilize  those  possibilities  for 
yourself.  The  true  cultivation  of  mediumship  is  a  stepping- 
stone  to  the  exercise  of  your  own  spiritual  powers. — J.  J. 
Morse. 

Higher  mediumship  means  higher  manhood  and  -wo¬ 
manhood.  It  means  consecration  to  the  weal  of  all — an 
every-day  consciousness  of  the  invisible  yet  real  substan¬ 
tialities  of  being.  It  means  a  spirit  opened  to  the  illapses 
of  life,  power  and  love  from  the  realm  of  spirit  life.  In  a 
word,  it  is  becoming  aware  of  the  spirituality  of  our  self¬ 
hood  and  our  vital  relationship  to  all  the  spheres  of  pos¬ 
sible  spirit  life. — Prof.  Loveland. 

It  has  become  somewhat  fashionable  of  late  years  to 
extol  the  ‘higher  mediumship’ — by  which  is  meant  the  ex¬ 
ercise  by  the  sensitive  of  his  powers  or  perception  on  the 
inner  plane  as  a  clairvoyant,  psychometrist,  or  healer. 
Strictly  speaking,  however,  in  soTar  as  these  powers  are 
normally  employed  by  their  possessor,  it.  is  hardly  appro¬ 
priate  to  apply  the  term  ‘mediumship’  to  them,  as  that 
word  implies  that  an  outside  Intelligence  makes  use  of  the 
medium  as  his  Intermediary,  for  the  purpose  of  communi¬ 
cating  w'iht  his  friends.  Bulbas  impressions,  suggestions, 
mental  pictures,  or  symbols  may  be  transferred  to,  im¬ 
pressed  upon,  or  consciously  received  by,  the  seer  from 
operators  upon  the  other  side;  or  he  may  see  and  de- 
scribe  spirit  persons  and  convey  thoughts  from  them  to 
those  who  consult  him — although  not  directly  ‘controlled’ 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


221 

by  them — the  word  mediiimsliip  in  this  extended  sense 
may  be  permissible. 

'  There  is  undoubtedly  far  more  communion  between  the 
people  of  the  two  states  of  existence  than  is  ordinarily 
recognized,  even  by  the  Spiritualist.  Many  people  act  upon 
spontaneous  impulses,  and  express  ideas  that  they  cannot 
explain  to  themselves,  much  less  trace  to  their  source.  Spir¬ 
its  frequently  associate  with  and  serve  their  friends,  al- 
Though  the  recipients  of  their  Benefactions  are  unconscious 
pT  their  dependence  upon  their  unseen  inspirers,  and  would 
be  horrified,  in  all  probability,  if  they  were  made  aware 
of  the  origin  of  their  ideas  and  impulses. 

THE  GREAT  THOUGHT  WORLD. 

There  is,  too,  the  fact  that,  as  we  say,  ‘ideas  are  in  the 
air,’  and  we  become  related  to,  and  draw  upon,  the  realm 
of  thought  forces  and  principles.  Not  only  can  we  enter 
into  personal  relation  with  given  individuals  in  the  spirit 
world,  but  the  great  thought  atmosphere,  the  plane  of  uni¬ 
versal  ideas,  is  open  to  those  who  are  attuned  to  its  vibra¬ 
tions,  and  all  progressive  spiritual  thinkers  ultimately  ar¬ 
rive  at  that  altitude,  no  matter  what  road  they  travel.  * 
Many  mediums  have  been  conscious  that  they  have  tapped 
the  thought-tides  from  the  unseen  and  have  been  inspired 
by  the  combined  influences  of  the  thinkers  of  a  certain 
grade  or  sphere,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  there  would 
be  more  of  this  kind  of  inspiration  if  the  aspirational  and 
receptive  moods  were  more  intelligently  cultivated. 

So  close  and  intimate  on  the  plane  of  spiritual  fellow¬ 
ship  are  the  relations  between  the  two  worlds  that  he  would 
be  a  bold  man — or  an  ignorant  one — who  would  repudiate 
the  probability  of  his  indebtedness  to  the  people  of  the 
higher  life,  individually  or  collectively.  Poets,  composers, 
orators,  and  writers  frequently  write  and  speak  ‘wiser  than 

*  It  is  said  that  at  the  time  Professor  Bell  was  perfecting  his 
telephone  at  least  three  other  inventors  were  developing  the  same 
thing.  In  wireless  telegraphy  Marconi  had  three  rivals,  and  who 
built  the  first  liquid-air  apparatus  is  at  present  in  dispute. 


they  know,’  ami  voice  the  thoughts  which  flow  into  and 
through  them,  which  were  born  in  that  sphere  of  ideas  and 
powers  which  we  call  the  great  spirit  world.  * 

HOW  LUCIDITY  CAN  BE  OBTAINED. 

By  centering  the  thought  upon  a  given  object  and  by 
purposely  abstracting  one’s  self  from  the  external  plane  of 
consciousness,  it  is  possible  to  liberate  the  latent  energies 
of  the  psychical  body,  and  by  desire,  or  aspiration,  call 
them  into  active  use,  and  thus  attain  a  condition  of  ‘lu¬ 
cidity.’  or  inner  perception,  in  which  the  mind  intuitively 
apprehends  and  comprehends  states,  conditions,  qualities 
or  influences  to  which  it  is  blind,  deaf,  and  unresponsive 
under  ordinary  circumstances.  This  is  the  condition  that 
is  induced  in  the  subject  by  the  mesmerist  when  he  is 
aroused  from  the  coma  into  which  he  at  first  lapses.  It  is 
the  ‘superior  condition,’  or  the  ‘ecstasy,’  experienced  by 
such  men  as  A.  J.  Davis,  Swedenborg,  and  by  mystics  gen¬ 
erally.  It  can  be  attained  by  mental  abstraction,  medita¬ 
tion.  and  desire,  or  by  concentration,  contemplation,  and 
self-suggestion,  and  in  course  of  time  may  be  induced  at 
will.  Thus,  by  ‘retiring  into  the  silence’  (or  entering  into 
the  holy  of  holies  of  one’s  inner  self),  and  by  calling  upon 
the  ‘Christ  within,’  illumination  will  eventually  be  exper¬ 
ienced  which  will  constitute  veritable  revelation,  and  prove 
to  be  a  source  of  unexpected  strength. 

*  ‘Men  err  in  attributing  to  spirit  influence  that  only  which  is 
objective.  The  truer  inspirations  flow  into  the  soul  when  it  is  least 
conscious  of  objective  matters.  The  voice  of  the  higher  spirits  com¬ 
muning  with  the  soul  is  silent,  noiseless,  and  frequently  unobserved, 
felt  only  in  its  results,  but  unknown  in  its  processes.  For  all  in¬ 
spiration  flows  direct  from  Him  whom  you  call  God;  that  is  to  say. 
from  the  Great  All-pervading  Spirit  who  is  in,  and  through,  and 
amongst  all.  You  live  indeed,  as  we  live,  in  a  vast  ocean  of  spirit, 
from  which  all  knowledge  and  wisdom  flows  into  the  soul  of  man.' 
— ‘Imperator’  to  ‘M.  A.  (Oxon).’ 


A  Guide  to  MediumsJiip 


223 


THE  ATTITUDE  TO  BE  OBSERVED. 

The  attitude  of  mind  to  be  adopted  by  the  student  who 
wishes  to  normally  cultivate  his  sensitiveness  and  direct 
his  soul  forces  for  definite  purposes,  differs  in  some  re¬ 
spects  from  that  in  which  the  seeker  for  mediumship  ap¬ 
proaches  the  subject.  He  must  concentrate  his  attention 
upon  his  own  sensations,  and  cultivate  the  introspective 
powers  of  mind.  Instead  of  being  acted  upon  by  a  ‘con¬ 
trolling  spirit’  he  must  become  his  own  control.  He  can¬ 
not  ‘leave  it  alb  to  the  spirits’;  he  is  to  become  the  seer,  the 
knower;  ready  to  receive,  interpret,  and  respond  to  the 
thrills  and  impulses  that  touch  his  psychical  sphere.  He 
must  learn  to  estimate  their  significance;  grow  conscious 
of  their  quality;  realize  their  value  and  be  able  to  live 
the  inner  life — to  feel,  see,  hear,  and  cognize  with  the 
soul’s  perception.  He  has  to  govern  himself;  to  discipline 
his  emotions;  to  subordinate  his  own  likes  and  dis¬ 
likes  that  he  may  deepen,  intensify,  focalize,  and  realize 
his  consciousness  upon  the  inner  plane,  so  that  the  faintest 
vibrations  of  the  subtile  personal  aura  of  others,  and  their 
delicate  moral  and  spiritual  aromas  may  be  ‘sensed’  and 
gauged  as  clearly  as  those  which  are  more  violent,  coarse, 
and  gross.  He  needs  to  be  sufficiently  self-cultured  and 
self-centred  to  register  and  interpret  these  ‘influences’  and 
then  throw  them  off,  so  that  he  will  not  be  affected  per¬ 
manently  or  injurioulsy.  He  will  require  to  know  how 
and  when  to  be  ‘open’  and  responsive,  and  to  cultivate 
sufficient  will-power  to  positively  close  up  all  avenues  of 
psychical  susceptibility  whenever  and  wherever  he  feels 
It  necessary.  His  desire  should  be  to  become  consciously 
able  to  receive,  and  be  ‘inspired’  by,  the  thoughts  and 
emotions  which  move  the  hearts  of  others,  and  yet  main¬ 
tain  his  balance  and  preserve  a  calm,  discriminating  atti¬ 
tude. 

SPIRIT  INSPIRERS  WELCOME. 

The  intimate  blending  of  his  mental  states  with  the 
‘impressions’  or  thought-transferences  which  he  receives 
from  the  people  both  on  this  side  and  ‘over  there,’  often 
perplexes  the  conscientious  sensitive  who  neither  wishes  to 


224 


A  Guide  to  Mcdiumship 


receive  others  nor  be  deceived,  and  lie  requires  considerable 
patience  as  well  as  discernment  to  learn  to  differentiate 
the  ideas  and  impulses  that  reach  him  from  an  outside 
source,  from  those  which  result  from  the  activity  of  his 
own  spirit — and,  ideed,  it  is  often  hard  to  tell  whether*  tne 
activity  of  his  own  spirit  is  not  due  to  some  stimulus  that 
reaches  him  from  a  spirit  friend. 

Many  people  are  natural  healers,  intuitive  character 
readers  and  normal  seers  from  childhood ;  hence  it  is  often 
hard  for  them  to  determine  whether  they  are  indebted  to 
spirits  or  do  their  work  unaided.  It  is  a  matter  of  evi¬ 
dence.  If  they  receive  proofs  of  the  presence  and  action 
of  an  intelligent  operator  ‘on  the  other  side,’  well  and 
good;  but  if  they  do  not,  and  yet  see,  ‘sense,’  and  heal, 
they  are  doing  good  work,  and  at  least  demonstrate  the 
fact  that  we  are  spirits  here  and  now,  and  possess  these 
spirtual  gifts  or  psychical  faculties  by  virtue  of  our  spirit 
origin  and  nature.  That  is  a  great  point  gained  as  against 
materialism.  The  fact  is,  mediumship  and  psychical  sus¬ 
ceptibility  can  and  should  be  cultivated  side  by  side.  If 
sensitives  were  to  devote  two  evenings  each  week,  one  to 
the  development  of  mediumship  and  the  other  to  the  cult¬ 
ure  of  psychical  susceptibility  and  the  exercise  of  those 
powers,  progress  could  be  made  along  both  lines  with  in¬ 
teracting  beneficial  results. 

It  would  be  the  height  of  unwisdom  for  one  who  essays 
to  become  as  a  spirit  among  spirits  and  enter  the  inner 
realm  of  spiritual  life,  to  scornfully  reject  the  sympathy 
and  guidance  of  such  spirits  as  would  willingly  aid  him 
without  infringing  his  psychical  liberties  or  rights.  The 
more  fully  he  realizes  this  fact  and  the  more  willing  he  is 
to  receive,  and  be  grateful  for,  the  protection,  assistance, 
and  inspiring  thoughts  of  the  illuminated  and  loving  peo¬ 
ple  of  the  after-death  world,  the  more  he  will  be  assisted 
by  those  who  are  fitted  to  co-operate  with  him  in  his  laud¬ 
able  endeavors  to  cultivate  his  sensitiveness  and  attain 
higher  spirituality,  that  he  may  be  the  more  helpful  to 
suffering  humanity. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


225 


HAPHAZARD  DEVELOPMENT  DEPRECATED. 

The  cultivation  of  psychical  susceptibility  has  hitherto 
been  left  too  much  to  chance.  Many  persons  have  been 
conscious  that  they  possessed  powers  of  perception  and  in¬ 
tuitive  cognition  beyond  the  ordinary  range,  but  they  did 
not  understand  themselves,  nor  were  they  understood  by 
those  around  them. 

‘Sensitives’  frequently  suffer  extremely  because  of  the 
indifference  and  callousness  of  others.  They  themselves 
are  apt  to  imagine  that  they  are  in  danger  of  insanity ; 
their  friends  and  acquaintances  regard  them  as  being  ‘  pe-. 
culiar,  ’  ‘  eccentric,  ’  or  ‘  not  quite  right  ’ ;  and,  as  a  nat¬ 
ural  consequence,  they  shrink  into  themselves  and  en¬ 
deavor  to  repress  all  spontaneous  exercise  of  their  gifts; 
and  what  should  be  regarded  as  a  priceless  boon,  and  an 
agency  for  good,  comes  to  be  considered  as  an  infliction 
and  a  cause  of  suffering  and  misery.  Those  who  are  mod¬ 
erately  sensitive  might,  by  attention  to  the  necessary  con¬ 
ditions,  by  study  of  their  own  peculiar  sensations,  and  by 
experiments  to  develop  their  powers,  speedily  become  con¬ 
scious  of  the  fact  that  they  are  affected  by,  and  reflect, 
the  psychical  and  mental  conditions  of  others. 

What  are  called  psychometry,  clairvoyance,  and  clair- 
audience  may  be  classed  together  as  one  faculty,  and  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  the  phenomena  of  thought-trans¬ 
ference  are  but  modes  of  the  same  sensitiveness,  or  the 
jmwer  of  reception  and  perception  of  vibrations  on  the 
psychical  or  so-called  ‘astral’  plane. 

REALIZATION. 

The  consciousness  of  the  psychical  realm  is  a  state  of 
realization  which  differs  from  that  of  the  outer  physical 
and  memory  consciousness.  In  many  instances  the  ordinary 
consciousness  is  suspended  and  the  psychic  is  in  a  state 
resembling  trance;  yet  there  are  conditions  of  illumina¬ 
tion,  or  occasional  experiences,  in  which  the  percipient  is 
fully  aware  of  all  that  happens,  and  the  psychical  is  added 
to  the  physical  consciousness,  not  substituted  for  it.  Ac- 


226 


A  Guide  to  Medhimship 


cideutal  experiences  have  aroused  curiosity  and  inquiry  up 
to  a  certain  point,  or  the  haphazard  groping  in  the  dark 
of  the  ordinary  ‘developing  circle,’  where  the  sitters,  Mi- 
cawber-like,  have  ‘waited  for  what  ever  might  turn  up,’ 
has  led  to  the  discovery  of  a  number  of  individuals  who, 
with  the  aid  of  excarnate  operators,  have  become  success¬ 
ful  psycliometrists  and  clairvoyants,  and  some  of  these 
(when  they  have  been  studious  and  progressive)  have 
at  length  attained  the  stage  of  self-unfoldment  and  self¬ 
comprehension,  and  have  become  normal  psychometrists  and 
clairvoyants  by  learning  how  to  place  themselves  in  the 
receptive  attitude;  but  surely  the  time  has  arrived  for  the 
adoption  of  more  intelligent  and  rational  methods  of 
development. 

While  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  psychics,  like  poets, 
‘must  be  born,  not  made,’  because  ‘sensitiveness^  is  a  nat¬ 
ural  condition  depending  upon  a  physiological  state,  or  an 
organic  and  constitutional  aptitude,  there  are  doubtless 
many  persons  who,  while  possessing  these  qualifications, 
are  ignorant  of  their  value  when  cultivated  and  intelli¬ 
gently  employed.  Most  sensitives  of  note  can  relate  strange 
incidents  in  their  childhood  which  revealed  their  psychical 
openness,  but  such  experiences  are  in  reality  pointers  to 
the  fact  that  there  are  in  all  of  us  inherent  dormant  capa¬ 
bilities  which  we  may  call  forth  and  unfold — if  we  will. 

STUDY  AND  SYSTEMATIC  CULTIVATION  NEEDED. 

A  School  of  the  Prophets  might  be  founded,  and  classes 
instituted  for  instruction  in  the  methods  of  psychical  ex¬ 
pression,  but  no  amount  of  in-struction  will  suffice.  It  is 
only  what  the  pupil  appropriates  and  utilizes  for  the  cdu- 
cation  of  his  own  powers  that  benefits  him.  Evolution  is 
"from  within  outwards,  and  the  unfolding  and  expression 
of  the  interior  powers  of  the  spirit  self  is  a  work  which 
must  be  performed  by  each  one  for  himself.  Pupils  daily 
“devote  hours  to  practice  upon  the  piano  that  they  may 
master  the  difficulties  of  the  right  use  of  their  fingers. 
The  initial  experiences  are  trying  and  monotonous,  but 
the  reward  is  sure  in  the  ability  and  power  which  come  at 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


227 


last  to  the  lover  of  music.  Why  should  not  the  psychical 
student  devote  his  time  and  thought,  with  equal  persistence 
and  patience,  to  the  cultivation  of  his  powers  and  the 
development  of  his  responsiveness  to  those  tones,  chords, 
notes,  voices,  thrills,  and  harmonies  which  charm  the  inner 
ear  and  ravish  the  soul  ?  It  is  only  by  repetition,  by  contin¬ 
uous  application  and  endeavor  that  men  become  expert  and 
successful.  The  difficulty  which  at  first  seems  insur¬ 
mountable  disappears  when  resolutely  attacked. 

NO  TWO  PSYCHICS  ARE  EXACTLY  ALIKE. 

Sensitives  who  consciously  exercise  their  soul-powers 
of  perception  vary  considerably,  and  the  personal  equation 
has  to  be  reckoned  with  in  all  cases.  Some  psychics  can 
succeed  under  conditions  which  present  insuperable  bar¬ 
riers  to  others;  and  while  we  may  give  the  general  out¬ 
lines  of  methods  to  be  pursued  for  the  cultivation  of  psy¬ 
chical  faculties,  it  will  be  necessary  for  the  observant  and 
intelligent  student  to  make-  experiments  and  discover  the 
specific  conditions  favorable  for  their  exercise. 

There  are  different  planes  of  psychical  unfoldment,  of 
clairvoyant  and  psychometric  perception  :  different  degrees 
of  lucidity  and  of  response  to  influences  and  impressions ; 
and  the  abilities  of  psychics  differ.  Some  are  quick,  intui¬ 
tive,  "affection  ate,  and  poetic.  Manjr  readily  respond  to 
thought-pictures  and  impulses,  but  seldom  reach  the  inner 
plane  of  clear  spirit  sight.  Many  perceive  symbolical  rep¬ 
resentations  rather  than  the  things  themselves,  and  the 
value  of  their  experiences  will  depend  upon  their  ability  to 
interpret  tbe  symbols  accurately.  Some  seers  are  mystical, 
others  practical  and  matter-of-fact,  and  other  differences 
wTTT'soon  become  apparent  to  the  student.  The  nature  of 
one’s  psychical  experiences  will  vary  from  time  to  time. 
On  one  occasion  a  seer  may  reach  a  high  level,  breathe  a 
clear  air,  become  conscious  of  his  spiritual  surroundings, 
and  possibly  see  into  the  spirit-world,  whereas  at  other 
times  he  may  feel  himself  hemmed  in  and  hampered  in  an 
incomprehensible  fashion.  To-day  he  may  be  on  the  moun¬ 
tain-tops  of  exaltation,  and  revel  in  the  delightful  liberty 


228 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


and  power  which  he  realizes;  to-morrow  he  may  he  be¬ 
fogged  and  enveloped  in  the  mists  of  the  sense-world.  He 
may  try  to  cultivate  his  interior  nature,  and  may  observe 
all  the  instructions  he  can  obtain,  and  yet  have  no  outward 
and  visible  sign  of  any  inward  change  or  progress  towards 
his  goal.  He  may  ‘retire  into  the  silence/  and  by  medita¬ 
tion  and  supplication  seek  to  harmonize  his  nature  to  the 
right  rhythm  for  receptive  response  to  the  vibrations  of  the 
psychical  atmosphere ;  or  he  may  concentrate  his  attention 
and  make  his  demand,  may  focalize  his  will-power  and  seek 
to  visualize ;  but  all  to  no  purpose — the  heavens  are  as 
brass,  and  his  darkness  is  unrelieved.  Then  he  may  relax 
his  strained  endeavors  and  simply  wait — neither  anxious 
nor  demanding,  neither  expectant  nor  imperious;  content 
to  wait;  hopeful,  but  not  impatient ;  and  then  the  light  may 
gome  and  the  inner  self  may  enter  into  the  conscious  rea¬ 
lization  of  its  relationship  to  the  realities  of  the  unseen, 
and  the  outer  consciousness  may  understandingly  enjoy  the 
inspirations  of  that  inner  and  inward  light.  In  one  way 
or  another,  sooner  or  later,  the  opening  up  of  the  soul’s 
senses  will  be  achieved  if  patience  has  her  perfect  work. 
But  a  serene  and  peaceable  mind,  a  waiting  and  attentive 
attitude,  a  harmonious  and  altruistic  spirit  will  prove  to 
Be  the  best  passport  into  the  inner  life  and  the  attainment 
of  the  superior  condition. 


A  C’x u ide  to  Mediumship 


229 


CHAPTER  III. 

MYSTICAL,  OCCULT,  AND  MAGICAL  POWERS. 

There  is  one  science  and  philosophy  of  life  here  and  here¬ 
after,  that  comes  free  to  all  as  the  sunlight,  and  scorns  the 
limitations  of  creed,  set  forms  of  belief,  and  the  organic 
efforts  of  self-constituted  leaders.  It  founds  no  lodge,  and 
its  believers  are  not  identified  by  grip  or  sign.  Its  holy 
temple  is  the  wide  world,  its  brothers  are  mankind,  its  effort 
is  to  escape  from  the  mysteries  of  ignorance  to  the  light  of 
truth,  its  leaders  are  the  independent  workers  innumerable, 
who  labor  in  diverse  ways,  and  the  angel  host.  — Hudson 
Tuttle. 

Psychology,  or  strong  will,  is  perhaps  a  more  potent  fac¬ 
tor  in  the  world’s  economj'  than  the  world’s  rank  and  file 
know  or  dream  of;  and  when  psychological  power  is  pro- 
.jected  in  any  direction  from  a  strongly  magnetic  person,  it 
touches  the  object  or  person  aimed  at  for  good  or  evil,  and 
according  to  the  intent  for  good  or  evil  of  the  psychologist 
has  it  been  named  ‘white  or  black  magic. *  .As  to  spells, 
ehanas,  incantations,  etc.,  these  were  only  used  as  means 
of  concentrating  will-power,  tin  real  power  being  in  the 
wilt,,  especially  as  above  stated,  when  that  will  is  projected 
upon  its  object  by  powerful  magnetism. — Emma  Tlardinge 
Britten. 

As  regards  the  so-called  astral,  magical  or  occult  powers 
of  man,  sef/-culture  may  be  regarded  by  some  people  as 
chimerical.  To  them  these  alleged  ‘occult’  forces  are  mys¬ 
terious,  and  they  believe  that  those  who  would  learn  to 
employ  them  require  the  aid  of  adepts,  brotherhoods,  secret 
rites,  incantations,  extraordinary  discipline,  symbols,  spells. 


230 


A  Guide  fo  Mediumship 


and  we  know  not  what.  Mystery  and  fear,  ignorance  and 
superstition  go  hand  in  hand,  and  the  realm  of  the  un¬ 
known  was  ever  the  happy  hunting-ground  of  the  charlatan, 
who,  with  his  "bombastic  pretences,  fattened  upon  the  cre¬ 
dulity  and  folly  of  his  fellows. 

Every  one  of  us  is  a  centei*-stance  as  well  as  a  circum¬ 
stance.  We  exert  our  influence  by  our  example,  and,  too, 
by  our  auric  emanations.  We  radiate  health,  hope,  helpful¬ 
ness,  and  good ;  or  send  out  influences  which  deplete  and 
injure  those  who  come  into  our  sphere.  If  we  are  ignorant, 
but  sensitive  and  psychically  ‘open,’  we  may  be  torn  by 
conflicting  emotions  and  distracted  by  cross  magnetism,  or 
fall  victims  to  the  positive  psychical  currents  that  are  pro¬ 
jected  upon  us  by  the  crafty,  designing,  selfish,  opinion¬ 
ated  people  whose  fair  pretences  and  smooth  words  but 
cloak  their  ulterior  sensual,  mercenary,  or  malicious  de¬ 
signs. 

UNCONSCIOUS  HYPNOTIC  INFLUENCE. 

Two  persons  may  be  naturally  en  rapport  without  any 
knowledge  of  the  fact  that  they  are  psychical  beings,  or  that 
there  is  any  such  subtle  relationship.  This  explains  why 
some  people  exercise  a  fascination  over  their  fellows,  in¬ 
fluencing  their  minds,  sometimes  even  to  the  extent  of  mak¬ 
ing  them  tools  and  catspaws  to  do  their  will  for  good  or 
evil.  These  are  matters  of  daily  experience;  but  the  great 
trouble  is  that  there  is  such  profound  ignorance  with  re¬ 
gard  to  them,  and  it  is  in  ignorance  that  the  danger  lies, 
not  in  knowledge.  One  great  fact  in  this  connection  which 
everybody  should  know  is  that  all  human  beings  can  pro¬ 
tect  themselves  against  adverse  or  injurious  psychical  sug¬ 
gestions.  When  they  are  conscious  of  their  power  they  can 
'concentrate  their  will,  shut  the  doors  and  windows  of  their 
personality,  and  refuse  to  be  impinged  upon  or  affected  by 
influences  other  than  those  morally  helpful  and  sustaining. 
Is  it  not  the  fact  that  the  successful  business  man  is  often 
one  who.  whether  he  understands  the  science  or  not,  has  the 
power  of  bringing  his  will  force  to  bear  upon  the  unsuspect¬ 
ing  persons  with  whom  he  Avishes  to  do  business  until  they 
comply  with  his  desires?  On  the  Stock  Exchange,  in  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsip 


231 


mart,  the  factory,  and  the  shop,  aye,  in  almost  all  the  re¬ 
lations  of  life,  men  are  constantly  directing  their  psychical 
powers  upon  one  another  in  this  way.  The  successful  sales¬ 
man  sells  you  something  you  do  not  want,  but  it  is  not  until 
you  have  quitted  his  shop  and  are  free  of  the  ‘psychological 
envelope’  in  which  he  enmeshed  you.  that  you  awake  to  a 
realization  of  the  fact.  The  successful  orator,  preacher,  re¬ 
former,  revivalist,  is  generally  one  whose  personal  mag¬ 
netism  enables  him  to  dominate  his  hearers  and  relate  him¬ 
self  to  them  on  the  psychical  plane,  so  that,  although  he 
may  be  unaware  of  the  fact,  his  utterances  become  to  them 
hypnotic  suggestions. 

TIIE  WONDERS  OF  EASTERN  MAGIC  EXAGGERATED. 

Those  who  talk  of  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients  should 
remember  that  we  are  the  ancients  of  the  race.  The  further 
we  probe  into  the  records  of  the  mystical  East,  the  nearer 
we  get  to  the  childhood  of  the  race,  not  to  its  maturity.  If 
evolution — physical,  mental,  and  spiritual — has  been  go¬ 
ing  on  throughout  the  ages,  and  the  race  progressing 
towards  that  ‘one  far-off"  divine  event  to  which  the  whole 
creation  moves,’  the  world  must  possess,  in  the  spirit  that 
moves  this  age,  the  culmination  and  outcome  of  the  thoughts 
and  spiritual  illuminations  of  the  learned,  wise,  inspired, 
and  great  thinkers  and  teachers,  poets  and  seers  of  all 
times;  knowledge  and  enlightenment  are  more  widespread, 
and  the  people  of  to-day  know  more  of  truth,  and  there 
is  more  intelligent  goodness  and  love  actively  expressed  and 
more  generally  manifested,  than  in  any  bygone  period. 
‘Tien  Sien  Tie,’  speaking  through  INI r.  J.  J.  Morse,*  after 
mentioning  the  fact,  that  his  experience  had  been  wide¬ 
spread  and  his  observations  extended,  for  he  had  enjoyed 
the  opportvmity  of  investigating  the  so-called  magic  of  the 
Orientals,  went  on  to  ‘unhesitatingly  affirm’  that  when 
magic  is  divested  of  all  its  superfluous  elements  and 
brought  down  to  its  basic  facts  and  laws,  the  enlarged  state¬ 
ments  as  to  the  alleged  wonders  performed  by  ancient  ma¬ 
gicians  were  ‘either  thoughtless  or  wilful  exaggerations,’ 


*  'Practical  Occultism.’ 


232  A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

and  that,  if  their  claims  are  closely  investigated,  the  alleged 
performers  of  occult  things  avoid  giving  any  public  state¬ 
ment  and  shelter  behind  vows  of  secrecy,  and  refer  to  the 
claimed  results  of  the  powers  they  say  they  possess.  If 
these  facts  are  borne  in  mind,  ‘half  the  glory  and  three- 
fourths  of  the  mystery  associated  with  magic  in  the  past 
will  flee  away  for  ever.  The  Magi  of  the  past,’  he  con¬ 
tended,  ‘when  not  teachers  pure  and  simple,  had  been 
trained  in  a  certain  course  of  practical  philosophy  in  re¬ 
gard  to  man’s  mental,  psychological  and  spiritual  powers, 
expressed  in  symbols  and  veiled  in  allegories,  which,  when 
penetrated  and  interpreted,  yielded  only  the  same  kind  of 
knowledge  familiar  to  Modern  Spiritualists.  There  is  in 
man  a  power  which  enables  him  to  use  all  beneath  him  or 
upon  a  level  with  him,  to  the  extent  of  his  ability — but  his 
ability  is  the  governing  factor,  he  cannot  go  beyond  that. 
The  power  of  the  will,  governed  by  the  enlightened  soul 
and  intelligence,  enables  him  to  accomplish  many  things 
that  seem  most  remarkable  to  the  untrained.’ 

MAGIC,  WHITE  AND  BLACK. 

Dr.  Franz  Hartmann  says  in  his  work  on  ‘Magic,  White 
and  Black’:  ‘Magic  is  that  knowledge  of  the  spiritual 
powers  hidden  within  the  constitution  of  man,  which 
enables  him  to  employ  them  consciously  and  intelligently. 
IF  he  employs  them  for  the  purpose  of  attaining  perfec¬ 
tion  through  the  realization  within  himself  of  the  highest 
ideal,  common  to  all  mankind,  it  is  called  “white  magic”; 
and  he  may  use  these  powers  for  beneficent  purposes  and 
in  harmony  with  the  universal  law  of  love  and  justice;  if 
he  employs  them  for  low  or  selfish  purposes,  or  in  opposi¬ 
tion  to  divine  law,  he  makes  the  high  subservient  to  the 
low,  he  degrades  the  spirit,  and  with  it  himself.  This  mis¬ 
use  of  divine  power’s  is  called  “black  magic,”  and  it  is  not 
my  object  to  teach  this  art,  but  to  warn  the  readers  against 
it.’  It  will  be  seen  that  black  magic  differs  from  white 
in  the  character  of  the  motives  and  mehods  of  the  one  who 
practices  it.  The  white  magician  exerts  his  influence  over 
others  for  their  good.  His  motives  are  true  and  kindly;  he 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


233 


uses  his  will,  magnetism,  suggestion,  and  vital  force  to 
strengthen  and  stimulate  those  with  whom  he  deals  to  vir¬ 
tuous  courses.  He  heals  the  sick,  comforts  the  sad,  en¬ 
courages  the  weary,  and  helps  the  weak  to  become  firm  and 
brave.  He  does  not  seek  to  dominate  others  that  he  may 
use  and  bend  them  to  his  own  purposes,  but  he  strives  to 
awaken  in  them  the  power  of  self-control  and  to  assist  them 
to  gain  the  higher  level  of  spiritual  consciousness,  that 
they  may  be  intromitted  to  the  world  of  souls  and  in¬ 
teriorly  grasp  spiritual  truth. 

The  black  magician,  on  the  other  hand,  endeavors  to 
exert  his  psychological  powers  to  fascinate  others  and  ren¬ 
der  them  subservient  to  his- will,  so  that  they  shall  become 
his  tools  to  do  his  behests  and  further  his  scheme,  gratify 
his  love  of  power,  his  vanity,  passion,  or  avarice;  yield 
obedience  to  his  whim,  or  execute  his  malicious  designs  to 
injure  others.  Those  who  thus  seek  to  employ  the  force 
of  will  to  dominate  others,  and  exercise  psychical  control 
over  them  to  gratify  their  own  private  and  personal  ends, 
are  unworthy  custodians  of  the  power,  and  while  they  may 
succeed  temporarily,  they  will  themselves  most  assuredly 
suffer  in  the  long  run,  and  eventually,  to  use  a  Scotch 
proverb,  ‘sup  sorrow  with  a  big  spoon.’ 

HYPNOTISM  :  ITS  DANGERS. 

There  is,  w7e  fear,  too  much  ground  for  the  statement 
that  we  read  recently  that  the  study  of  magic  is  pursued 
in  many  cases  for  the  sake  of  the  power  it  is  suposed 
to  give  to  the  student  to  cause  others  to  do  according  to 
his  will,  and  that  he  may  be  able  to  make  the  forces  of 
Nature  serve  him  in  the  prosecution  of  his  selfish  designs. 
There  are  a  number  of  advertisers  who,  according  to  their 
own  assertions,  are  prepared  to  teach  others  how  to  hypno¬ 
tize  so  that  they  can  ‘compel  success,’  even  to  the  extent 
of  making  unwilling  people  sign  documents  in  their  fa¬ 
vor.  *  The  power  of  hypnotism  in  the  hands  of  unscrupu-  | 

*  Here  is  an  extract  from  a  circular  by  one  of  these  advertisers: 
‘We  show  you  how  people  are  made  to  execute  wills  in  favor  of 
certain  persons.  Hundreds  of  wills  have  been  made  contrary  to  the 


234 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


lous  people,  when  employed  against  ignorant,  unsuspicious, 
or  credulous  persons  who  can  be  terrorized,  is  a  most  dan¬ 
gerous  one,  and  no  one  who  respects  himself  will  submit  to 
the  experiments  of  a  would-be  operator  whom  he  does  not 
know,  or  cannot  trust,  because  the  subject  is  put  into  a 
peculiar  state  of  semi-trance  or  sleep,  and  the  operator  dic¬ 
tates  what  he  shall  see,  feel,  think,  and  remember;  thus  the 
senses  are  subjugated,  the  memory  is  interfered  with,  and 
the  subject  is  subservient  to  the  will,  or  thought,  or  sugges¬ 
tion,  or  mental  direction  of  the  operator.  Wherever  the 
personal  influence  of  the  operator  is  the  dominant  factor 
in  the  situation  and  one  person  leans  upon  another  for 
strength  and  guidance,  there  is  likelihood  of  trouble.  There 
is  no  danger  in  the  use  of  hypnotic  influence  and  suggestion, 
but  there  is  great  risk  that  the  power  may  be  abused. 

Mr.  James  Coates,  in  his  work  on  Human  Magnetism, 
says:  ‘Suggestion  in  hypnosis  is  an  impression  made  upon 
the  psychical  man,’  .  .  and  he  declares  that  ‘no  sub¬ 

ject.  however  intellectual,  level-headed,  and  balanced,  can 
resist  a  suggestion  given  in  a  proper  manner,  while  the 
subject  is  in  a  proper  state  of  conscious,  semi-conscious,  or 
non-conscious  hypnosis.  ’* 

real  wishes  of  the  maker.  The  subtle  power  of  hypnotism  having 
secretly  played  its  wonderful  part.  A  lady  in  Kansas  City  took  our 
course,  hypnotized  her  husband,  and  by  means  of  post-hypnotic 
suggestion  induced  him  to  deed  his  entire  property  to  her.  after 
which  she  refused  to  live  with  him.’  This  circular  also  states  ‘that 
many  of  the  most  complimentary  letters  we  have  received  are  from 
people  who  are  employing  the  unconscious  use  of  hypnotism,  or  per¬ 
sonal  magnetism  only,  and  they  feel  that  the  publication  of  their 
names  might  make  those  whom  they  wish  to  influence  afraid  of 
them.’ 

*  The  editor  of  ‘Suggestive  Therapeutics’  says :  ‘The  exercise 
of  hypnotic  power  requires  a  dual  action  to  be  effective.  The  power 
is  not  in  the  operator  alone;  nor  in  the  subject  alone.  There  is  the 
positive  or  projecting  power  of  the  first  and  the  negative  or  recep¬ 
tive  power  of  the  other.  There  must  be  a  responsive  enthusiasm, 
energy,  "vibration  or  magnetism  on  the  part  of  the  subject  to  meet 
halfway  the  positive  energy  of  the  operator  before  hypnotic  sug- 


A  Guide  to  MediumsJiip 


235 


THE  USE  AND  ABUSE  OF  HYPNOTISM. 

Great  stress  is  laid  by  some  writers  upon  the  non-in- 
jurious  character  of  hypnotism  in  the  hands  of  a  ‘proper,’ 
‘qualified,’  ‘reputable’  practitioner — but  the  point  is: — 
what  of  the  power  of  the  d/sreputable  and  designing? 

It  is  said  that  no  one  can  be  hypnotized  against  his  will, 
or  made  to  do  anything  contrary  to  his  own  wishes  or 
without  his  consent ;  this,  however,  is  disputed  by  others 
who  claim  to  speak  with  the  authority  of  knowledge. 

But  what  of  those  who  are  approached  by  slow  and 
stealthy  stages  and  psychologized  before  they  are  aroused 
to  use  their  will  ? 

Pleasant,  tactful,  suave,  and  pushing,  the  skilful  ope¬ 
rator  exerts  his  insidious  influence,  insinuates  his  poison¬ 
ous  suggestions,  and  directs  the  attention  of  his  subject 
away  from  his  purpose — or  overshadows  him  and  seems  to 
paralyze  his  powers  of  thought — and  sweeps  him  along 
until  he  makes  him  think  and  act  as  he  wishes,  and  the  sub¬ 
ject  does  not  wake  up  to  realize  how  he  has  been  manipu¬ 
lated  until  it  is  too  late  or  he  has  been  made  to  suffer. 
The  danger  is  in  the  fact  that  sensitive  people  are  often 
ignorant,  afraid,  and  weak  of  will;  or  they  are  confiding, 
off  guard,  and  their  sympathies  are  played  upon  until 
they  are  subjected  and  captivated;  in  fact,  many  people 
(sometimes  even  those  who  know  something  of  the  facts) 
unconsciously  comply  with  the  conditions  and  give  them¬ 
selves  away  to  crafty  and  unprincipled  operators,  who  rely 
upon  the  fact  that  many  people  are  naturally  sensitive, 
trusting,  and  easily  affected. 

Of  the  beneficial  effects  of  magnetic  treatment  by 
kindly,  sympathetic,  and  competent  healers  there  can  be 

gestion  can  do  its  work.  Hence,  if  the  operator  be  a  man  and  the 
subject  a  woman,  there  are  opportunities  for  the  abuse  of  this 
power  which  will  ever  be  in  evidence  as  long  as  one  governs  and 
another  obeys.  It  is  not  the  less  true,  though  we  have  here  spoken 
of  man  as  the  operator  and  woman  as  the  subject,  that  when  these 
places  are  reversed  precisely  the  same  conditions  exist,  rendering 
an  abuse  of  this  aeefuired  authority  possible.’ 


236 


A  Guide  io  Medium  ship 


no  doubt,  and  when  we  deal  more  fully  with  magnetic  or 
psychopathic  healing  we  shall  enlarge  upon  that  aspect 
of  the  subject,  but  while  the  psychological  influence  of 
good  and  high-principled  people  is  too  seldom  used  with 
intention  and  forethought,  the  ‘confidence  trick’  people 
have  discovered  their  power  and  use  it  with  evil  or  selfish 
intent,  hence  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  pressing  needs  of 
the  hour  is  the  promulgation  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
danger,  into  which  the  ignorant  and  unthinking  run,  of 
being  overpowered  by  the  positive  ‘suggestions’  and 
thought-projections  of  cunning  and  self-seeking  people  who 
knowingly  employ  their  will-power  for  their  own  ends. 
Since,  however,  there  must  be  liarmony  of  psychical  states 
for  the  responsive  vibrations  to  be  elicited,  the  well-poised, 
self-centred,  virtuous  soul  runs  but  little  risk  of  con¬ 
tamination.  * 

SELF-PROTECTION  BY  WILL-POWER. 

The  ‘confidence  trick’  is  played  in  a  variety  of  ways, 
and  the  student  in  this  realm  will  need  to  cultivate  the 
ability  to  ‘discern’  the  spirit  or  intention,  motive  or  dis¬ 
position,  of  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact.  He 
should  develop  his  will-power  by  concentration,  so  that  it 
may  be  empolyed  to  close  up  the  psychic  self  against  the 
intrusion  of  harmful  influences.  It  is  said  that  this  result 
can  be  achieved  by  holding  in  mind  the  thought  of  self- 
possession  ;  by  joining  the  hands,  finger-tips  to  finger-tips, 
or  clasping  them  together,  and  crossing*  the  legs,  and 

*  A  writer  affirms  ‘that  no  one  can.be  psychologized  unless  he 
surrenders  his  will  to  another.  Therefore  the  essential  thing  on  the 
part  of  the  individual  is  to  strengthen  the  will-power,  to  cultivate 
self-confidence  and  self-reliance,  and  parents  should  teach  this  to 
their  children.  No  magic-working  suggester  can  injure  another 
who  realizes  the  fact  that  no  power  can  touch  him,  and  simply 
ignores  the  suggestion ;  for  magic  power  can  have  no  effect,  if  it  be 
simply "ignored.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  person  keeps  thinking 
about  it  and  believes  the  magic  workers  can  control  him  and  accom¬ 
plish  their  designs,  he  will  bring  about  the  evil  results  by  his  own 
volition  and  thought.’ 


A  Guido  to  Medium-ship 


237 


resolutely  turning  the  thought  and  conversation  into  or¬ 
dinary  social  channels.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  will 
culture  is  as  requisite  as  is  the  attainment  of  the  receptive 
and  responsive  psychical  state. 

The  ‘will’  is  not  an  independent  attribute  or  a  separate 
function.  It  is  simply  the  soul’s  force  concentrated  and  in¬ 
telligently  employed.  The  secret  of  its  use  is  to  be  found 
m  the  three  words  ‘rely  on  yourself.’  It  is  developed  by 
exercise.  Each  effort"  increases  the  power  which  can  be 
employed  for  the  next.  The  cultivation  of  will-power  is  a 
process,  and  strength  of  will  can  he  developed  by  trusting 
it,  by  using  it  with  singleheartedness  and  pure  purpose, 
and  by  its  exercise  strength  of  character  can  be  achieved 
and  psychical  self-possession  realized.  We  now  know  that 
psychical  or  occult  powers  are  perfects  natural,  and  that 
they  can  be  trained  and  trusted  just  the  same  as  other 
mental  faculties.  There  is  nothing  supernatural  or  magi¬ 
cal  about  them.  The  same  methods  of  observation,  appli¬ 
cation,  concentration,  and  determination  which  make  the 
successful  business  man  or  scientist,  will  make  one  mas¬ 
ter  of  the  forces  of  his  soul-self.  The  phenomena  of  mes¬ 
merism,  hypnotism,  suggestion,  and  telepathy  enable  us  to 
understand  so-called  magic ;  to  guard  against  which  the 
development  and  employment  of  the  will  are  indispensable; 
as,  for  the  matter  of  that,  they  are  in  all  realms  of  attain¬ 
ment  of  knowledge  and  the  use  of  power. 

NO  NEED  TO  BECOME  A  HERMIT. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  retire  from  the  world  and  become 
a  hermit  or  recluse  in  order  to  become  a  mystic  or  unfold 
interior  powers.  People  who  make  vows,  live  in  solitude 
and  fast  for  prolonged  periods,  illustrate  the  power  of  will 
and  afford  us  examples  of  perseverance  and  devotion,  but 
they  do  not  necessarily  attain  a  high  altitude  of  spiritual 
illumination  by  their  self-imposed  ordeals  and  by  mortiifv- 
ing  the  flesh.  The  probability  is  that  their  attention  is  too 
strongly  concentrated  upon  their  voluntary  seclusion  and 
self-inflicted  suffering  to  permit  them  to  gain  that  calm 
and  receptive  serenity  of  spirit  necessary  for  interior 


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23S 

evolution.  To  tlie  same  extent  that  the  body  suffers  the 
mind  is  likely  to  become  distracted,  and  its  absorption  in 
the  process  of  maintaining  the  artificial  conditions  thus  in¬ 
duced  will  prevent  the  attainment  of  that  healthy  poise  and 
harmony  of  body  and  mind  which  are  indispensable  for 
true  spiritual  growth. 

Habits  may  be  unconsciously  formed  (because  we  are 
not  self-observant)  that,  when  we  realize  how  they  have 
captured  and  enslaved  us,  we  shall  find  terribly  hard  to 
break.  This  applies  to  modes  of  thought  and  feeling  quite 
as  much  as  it  does  to  daily  practices;  hence  the  habit  of 
level-headed  self-scrutiny — of  making  one’s  self  ‘toe  the 
mark’ — is  a  wise  and  helpful  one,  provided  we  are  not 
morbidly  self-critical  and  condemnatory. 

THE  VALUE  OF  GOOD  HABITS. 

Habits  can  be  consciously  formed  as  the  result  of 
thought  and  exercise.  First,  we  voluntarily  pursue  certain 
'lines  of  thought,  modes  of  expression,  or  of  action,  but 
after  a  time  we  cease  to  think  much  about  them.  We  have 
formed  the  custom  and  involuntarily  continue  the  same 
course  of  conduct;  thus  habit  becomes  second  nature.  It 
lies  outside  the  boundary  or  below  the  threshold  of  our  so- 
called  ‘objective’  or  active  consciousness,  and  _our  ’sub,’ 
‘subjective’  or  involuntary  self  takes  it  up  and  continues  it, 
irrespective  of  'whether  it  is  good  or  bad.  helpful  or  in¬ 
jurious.  Habits,  therefore,  need  watching  and  occasionally 
overhauling.  We  should  take  ourselves  in  hand  and  go 
into  ‘dry-dock,’  so  to  speak,  for  a  close  examination  and  to 
clean  off  the  barnacles  that  impede  our  progress. 

It  is  equally  possible  to  lower  the  tone  of  the  mind,  to 
give  way  to  moods,  to  become  self-conscious  and  distrustful, 
to  be  passive,  receptive,  weak  of  will,  and  infirm  of  purpose. 
The  great  remedy  for  this  state  of  things  is  substitution 
and  occupation.  Self-pity  is  dangerous,  self-surrender  to 
mistrustful  and  'self-depreciatory  moods  is  worse  than 
dangerous —  it  is  demoralizing;  it  is  destructive  of  char¬ 
acter  and  paves  the  way  for  failure,  misery,  insanity,  and 
degradation.  Self-examination  in  the  strenuous,  hopeful, 


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239 


and  affirmative  mood  will  be  inspiring  and  increase 
strength  and  purpose,  but  morbid  introspection  leads  to 
worry,  fear,  irritability,  and  loss  of  self-respect. 

Good  habits  of  thought,  feeling,  desire,  and  living 
should  be  formed,  and  substituted  for  those  which  are  less 
spiritually  satisfactory.  Thus  deep  breathing,  concentra¬ 
tion,  optimistic  thinking,  cheery  kindliness,  self-reliance, 
positive  self-centered  psychical  self-control,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  open  or  shut  the  windows  of  the  soul  at  will,  can  all 
be  cultivated  until  they  become  habitual  and  cease  to  be 
exceptional  experiences  that  demand  watchfulness  and  close 
application  to  maintain  them.  When  they  become  the  or¬ 
dinary  normal  practices  of  daily  life  the  mind  and  will  are 
left  free  to  be  exercised  consciously  in  other  and  more  ex¬ 
tended  realms  of  use  and  discovery,  and  for  the  acquisi¬ 
tion  of  lucidity  in  the  ‘superior  condition.’ 

PERSONAL  RESPONSIBILITY. 

The  value  of  knowledge  consists  in  the  use  one  makes 
of  it — in  its  application  in  daily  life  not  only  for  personal 
development  but  for  the  good  of  others.  The  responsibility 
for  right  motives  and  right  exercise  rests  with  each  indiv¬ 
idual.  Psychical  self-culture  is  not  necessarily  selfish  or 
dangerous,  not  more  so.  if  the  motive  is  right,  than  musi¬ 
cal  or  scientific  self-culture.  One  'must  first  learn  and 
know  before  he  can  understand,  use,  or  teach.  Personal  in¬ 
fluence  by  example  is  the  best  form  of  teaching,  so  that 
seZ/-culture  is  a  duty — as  much  for  the  good  of  others  as 
for  one’s  own  benefit.  The  motive  for  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge  determines  the  morality  or  virtue  of  the  act. 
If  merely  personal  ends  are  served,  if  power  is  sought  to 
gratify  ambition,  pride,  self-seeking,  vengeful  or  merce¬ 
nary  ends,  then  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  is  tainted  and 
the  seeker  can  never  attain  true  self-unfoldment  or  spir¬ 
itual  self-realization — his  motives  inevitably  close  the  door 
against  him.  Only  the  pure  in  heart  can  see  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  ;  only  by  the  love  of  truth  and  goodness  for  their 
own  sake,  without  hope  of  reward  or  desire  for  gain ;  only 
by  loving  service"  to  others  and  co-operation  in  the  great- 


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cause  of  human  emancipation  and  progress,  can  the  key 
be  found  to  the  spiritual  realm.  Spirit  ‘gifts’  are  not  of 
necessity  spiritual  graces.  A  man  may  be  an  intellectual 
giant  but  a  spiritual  dwarf ;  he  may  be  psychically  sensi¬ 
tive  and  able  to  read  the  signs  of  the  times  on  the  outer 
plane  with  much  success,  but  he  cannot  penetrate  to  the 
realm  of  spiritual  causes  or  comprehend  spiritual  values 
until  his  own  motives  are  attuned  to  love.  The  difficulty 
hitherto  has  been  to  ascertain  the  actual  meaning  of  the 
practices  and  the  doctrines  of  ancient  mystics,  as  there  was 
an  outer  and  an  inner  significance  to  their  utterances.  The 
claimed  ‘mystic  knowledge’  wras  not  written  but  it  was 
transferred  ‘from  mouth  to  ear’  and  was  frequently  hidden 
from  the  uninitiated  by  figurative  allegories  and  symbols. 
It  was  said  of  Jesus  that  he  spoke  in  parables  so  that  the 
populace  might  not  understand.  The  consequence  is  that 
we  have  been  left  in  doubt  as  to  what  the  Gnostics  or  Mys¬ 
tics,  who  claimed  to  ‘know,’  really  meant,  and  we  can  only 
conjecture  regarding  the  actual  purport  of  the  parables, 
symbols,  metaphors,  and  other  methods  that  were  employed 
for  concealing  rather  than  revealing  ideas. 

We  may  at  least  suppose  that  the  object  sought  to  be 
attained  by  occultists  and  mystics  was  really  the  harmoniz¬ 
ation  of  the  inidividual,  by  subordinating  the  animal  pro¬ 
pensities  and  selfish  desires  to  the  control  of  the  moral 
mind.'  and  by  the  cultivation,  or  the  surrender,  of  the  will, 
to  attain  psychical  liberty  and  lucidity.  The  irrepressible 
conflict  between  the  inclinations  of  the  outer,  sensuous  na¬ 
ture,  and  the  ideals  and  intuitions  of  the  inner,  spiritual 
man,  has  to  be  faced  and  settled  by  each  one  for  himself. 
T’he  question  is  whether  the  passions  shall  be  gratified,  and 
the  bodily  appetites  shall  rule — and  ruin ;  or  whether  they 
shall  be  sternly  repressed,  denied,  and  as  far  as  possible 
crushed  (with  ceaseless  and  painful  striving  and  bitter  self- 
cendemnation  for  failure  to  maintain  the  austere  self-com¬ 
mand  necessary  for  the  continual  denial)  ;  or  whether  the 
Law  of  Right,  of  Use  (of  temperate  and  virtuous  exercise 
and  pleasure  in  such  employment),  shall  be  loyally  ob¬ 
served.  The  question  is  one  which,  though  old,  is  ever  new, 
and  demands  solution  from  each  individual  sooner  or  later 


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241 


• — and  ‘  blessed  is  lie  that  overcometh’  and  brings  the  outer 
nature  to  respond  to  the  control  and  direction  of  the  inner 
'self,  and  avoids  the  extremes  of  perversion  and  abuse  on 
the  one  hand  and  of  unnatural  suppression,  solitude  and 
denial  on  the  other;  and  while  in  the  world  is  not  of  it,  but 
is  able  to  Jive  the  wrise,  healthy,  and  righteous  life  of  tem¬ 
perance  in  all  things.  It  is  not  necessary  to  live  in  forests 
or  caves,  or  to  fast  and  make  vows,  or  join  occultic  brother¬ 
hoods,  secret  societies,  or  communities,  to  secure  these  re¬ 
sults.  But  it  is  necessary  to  be  natural,  strong,  sympathetic, 
helpful,  and  loving.  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox  puts  the  matter 
as  forcibly  as  beautifully  in  the  following  lines: — 

‘Here  in  the  heart  of  the  world, 

Here  in  the  noise  and  the  din, 

Here  where  our  spirits  are  hurled 
To  battle  with  sorrow  and  sin ; 

This  is  the  place  and  the  spot 
For  knowledge  of  infinite  things ; 

This  is  the  kingdom  where  thought 
Can  conquer  the  prowess  of  kings. 

Here  in  the  tumult  and  roar, 

Show  what  it  is  to  be  calm ; 

Show  how  the  spirit  can  soar 
And  bring  back  its  healing  and  balm. 

Stand  not  aloof  nor  apart; 

Plunge  in  the  thick  of  the  fight. 

There  in  the  street  and  the  mart, 

That  is  the  place  to  do  right ; 

Not  in  some  cloister  or  cave. 

Not  in  some  kingdom  above ; 

Here  on  this  side  of  the  grave, 

Here  we  should  labor  and  love.’ 


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CHAPTER  IV. 

PHYSICAL  AND  MENTAL  CULTURE. 

The  importance  of  good  health  can  hardly  be  exag¬ 
gerated  ;  upon  its  preservation  our  general  well-being 
mainly  depends;  for  its  loss  there  can  be  no  adequate  rec¬ 
ompense. — ‘  Light.  ’ 

Man  faces  two  worlds,  and  is  amenable  to  the  laws  of 
both.  He  must  understand  that  obedience  to  the  laws  of 
physical  health  is  as  obligatory  and  as  much  a  part  of 
religion  as  obedience  to  moral  laws.  Perfect  health  is  a 
primary  element  of  moral  excellence.  — Hudson  Tuttle. 

The  fullest  expression  of  the  powers  of  man — the  mani¬ 
festation  of  his  highest  and  best  capabilities — can  alone  be 
secured  when  healthy  conditions  are  afforded  for  their  ex¬ 
ercise.  Perfect  health  is  Nature’s  ideal,  and  health  and 
sanity  go  together;  or  should  we  not  say  that  they  mean 
the  same  thing  although  employed  in  reference  to  body 
and  mind.  The  possession  of  a  robust,  vigorous,  well-bal¬ 
anced  physical  body — the  ‘Temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost’ — 
is  a  priceless  treasure  which  makes  optimism  possible.  A 
sound  body  will  afford  to  its  possessor  possibilities  of  psy¬ 
chical  experience,  of  pleasurable  emotions,  and  of  genuine 
all-round  happiness  which  the  sick  and  suffering  may  envy 
But  cannot  siiare.  To  be  spiritually  sane  and  clear,  strong 
and  serene,  there  must  be  harmony  and  equipoise  between 
the  forces  of  soul  and  body,  that  they  may  act  and  react 
upon  the  consciousness  with  refreshing  and  stimulating 
power.  No  wonder,  then,  that  increasing  attention  is  be¬ 
ing  directed  to  the  processes  of  living:  not  only  to  the 
influence  of  the  body  upon  the  mind,  but  of  diet  upon 
both  body  and  mind;  of  the  power  of  mind  to  affect  the 


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2-!  3 


body;  and  the  importance  of  right  habits  in  regard  to 
diet,  and  drink  in  order  to  secure  health,  buoyancy,  and 
well-being. 

DO  ‘ cures’  cure? 

If  a  man  from  Mars  were  to  suddenly  drop  down  in 
London  and  read  the  newspaper  advertisements  of  the  al¬ 
leged  wonderful  specifics  for  suffering  humanity,  he  would 
probably  begin  to  speculate  as  to  whether  any  of  the 
people  of  the  earth  were  ever  well!  What  with  liver  pills, 
kidney  cures,  stomach  bitters,  lung  tinctures,  head  powders, 
brain  invigorators,  heart  tonics,  blood  purifiers,  skin  oint¬ 
ments,  nerve  stimulants,  and  indigestion  and  dyspepsia 
tablets;  drinks,  powders,  salts,  etc.,  he  would  naturally  sus¬ 
pect  that  there  must  be  something  radically — or  racially 
— wrong  with  the  people,  either  in  body  or  mind,  or  both. 
Tf  these  ‘cures’  cure,  how  is  it  that  the  sales  increase  and 
doctors  multiply?  Do  the  people  continue  the  mode  of  liv¬ 
ing  which  brought  them  down  and  induced  disease,  and 
so  repeat  their  folly?  or  is  it  that  they  are  psychologized — 
suggestionized — into  believing  themselves  ailing?  Does  the 
drug-taking  habit  become  a  form  of  intemperance,  like 
dramdrinking?  Are  we  a  race  of  despondent,  dyspeptic 
decadents,  or  is  it  only  our  ‘little  wav’? 


DISEASE  :  ITS  CAUSE  AND  CURE. 

It  is  contended  by  some  writers  that  there  is  in  reality 
but  one  disease,  namely,  impure  blood,  caused  by  poison 
or  foreign  substance  in  the  blood,  due  to  imperfect  diges¬ 
tion  and  non-assimilation  of  food  and  the  consequent  mal¬ 
nutrition  of  the  body,  which  may  result  from  over  feed¬ 
ing  or  improper  food,  impure  air,  over-strain  , carelessness 
or  non-observance  of  natural  laws,  chill,  excess  or  perver¬ 
sion  ;  or  it  may  follow  mental  causes  such  as  shock,  fear, 
worry,  anger,  grief,  or  prolonged  excitement,  and  too  in¬ 
tense  concentration. 

If,  as  is  affirmed  by  Dr.  Dewey,  the  brain  is  a  self¬ 
feeding  organ — the  power  house  of  the  body — a  self¬ 
charging  dynamo,  regaining  its  exhausted  energies  through 
rest  and  sleep— and  our  need  for  food  is  limited  to  the 


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necessity  to  supply  the  nourishment  required  to  make  up 
the  wastage  which  has  been  going  on  in  the  body,  then 
it  seems  certain  that  the  brain  cannot  get  rest  and  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  store  up  energy  so  long  as  it  is  taxed  to  digest, 
or  get  rid  of,  the  food-masses  that  accumulate  in  the 
stomach,  with  more  of  decomposition  than  digestion,  and 
consequent  flatulency  and  dyspepsia.  If  it  be  true  that 
from  early  morning  until  late  at  night  there  is  a  gradual 
expenditure  of  energy  and  decline  of  strength,  no  matter 
how  much  or  how  little  food  may  be  taken,  or  how  thor¬ 
oughly  it  may  be  digested,  and  there  comes  a  time  when 
even  the  strongest  becomes  weary  and  must  go  to  bed — 
not  to  the  dining-room — to  regain  strength,  then  it  is  mani¬ 
fest  that  rest  is  our  only  means  of  recovery  from  exhaus¬ 
tion,  and  we  may  well  exclaim,  ‘Nature’s  sweet  restorer, 
balmy  sleep.’  It  has  been  said  that  during  slumber  there 
is  a  change  in  the  magnetic  conditions  of  the  body  and  of 
the  relations  it  holds  to  the  psychical  realm ;  that  the 
spiritual  or  inner  consciousness  becomes  active,  and  we 
breathe  the  life-giving  currents  of  the  psychical  atmos¬ 
phere  and  come  into  closer  relation  with,  and  are  quickened 
by,  the  powers  of  the  Spirit  Divine.  Pure  air,  pure  water 
(for  use  inwardly  and  externally),  sunshine,  and  an  active, 
cheerful  mind,  are  essential  to  health  and  happiness.  Next 
to  these  comes  the  observance  of  Nature’s  requirements  in 
respect  to  hunger,  thirst,  and  sleep. 

TREATMENT  OF  THE  SICK. 

It  is  commonly  believed  that  if  the  healthy  need  food 
the  sick  will  need  it  even  more ;  but  it  would  appear  that 
those  who  are  ill  recover  more  quickly  if  they  are  not 
dosed  with  food  or  drugs,  because  the  process  of  digest¬ 
ing  even  small  quantities  of  food  is  a  tax  upon  the  strength 
of  the  patient  and  diverts  it  from  the  work  of  restoration ; 
and  also  because  the  renovating  power  exists  in  the  brain, 
not  in  either  food  or  drugs,  and  the  patient  will  recuperate 
most  thoroughly  if  Nature  is  given  a  free  course  in  her  re* 
parative  work.  When  that  has  been  accomplished  the  suf¬ 
ferer  will  be  free  from  disease,  the  desire  for  food  will  re- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


245 


turn,  and  hunger  will  be  experienced.  It  should,  it  is 
claimed,  be  the  practice  in  the  sick-room  to  withhold  food 
until  there  is  a  natural  desire  for  it;  the  sufferer  should 
hot  be  tempted,  worried,  badgered,  or  coaxed  to  ‘take  some¬ 
thing,’  and  there  is  no  fear  that  he  will  starve  to  death  if 
he  does  not  take  nourishment  for  a  few  days,  or  even  weeks. 

The  old  saying,  in  its  popular  but  inaccurate  form, 
‘Feed  a  cold  and  starve  a  fever,’  has  been  responsible  for 
much  mischief,  for  it  is  an  erroneous  rendering  of  the  fact 
that  ‘  if  you  feed  a  cold  you  will  have  to  starve  a  fever,  ’  so 
that  it  actually  advises  the  very  course  of  procedure  which 
must  be  avoided.  The  local  congestion  which  causes  the 
painful  symptoms  that  we  denominate  ‘cold’  can  be  re¬ 
lieved' more  expeditiously  if  food  is  witheld  and  cold  water 
is  given  and  freely  imbibed,  and  local  fomentations,  hot 
packs,  or  vapor  batns  are  used  to  open  the  pores  of  the  skin. 
The  desire  for  food  will  assert  itself  just  as  soon  as  normal 
healthy  action  is  restored. 

When  a  bone  is  broken  the  surgeon  can  only  set  it — 
Nature  repairs  the  injury.  Doctors  are  rapidly  coming 
round  to  recognize  that  the  involuntary  pow:ers  of  the  self 
—sometimes  called  the  sub-conscious  self — that  operate 
below  the  threshold  of  the  every-day  consciousness  instinct- 
ively,  will,  if  given  free  play,  restore  the  patient  to  perfect 
health  whenever  that  is  possible ;  and  those  who  are  sick, 
sad,  and  suffering  can,  by  preserving  a  cheerful,  buoyant 
frame  of  mind,  consciously  assist  Nature  to  a  very  large  ex- 
tent  to  build  up  new  cells  and  healthy  tissues  until  their 
deranged  organs  are  practically  renewed;  for,  as  Andrew 
Jackson  Davis  said  in  the  ‘Spiritual  Telegraph,’  as  long 
ago  "as  the  year  1854:  ‘The  mind  can,  by  its  own  action, both 
cause  and  cure  disease.  Even  as  prominent  an  organism  as 
a  cancer  can  be  psychologized  into  being,  and  cured  by  the 
action  of  the  same  law.  It  is  very  necessary  that  modern 
'Spiritualists  understand  the  whole  force  of  this  principle.’ 

DIET  : — DIFFERENT  DOCTRINES. 

On  the  question  of  diet  much  has  been  said  and  written 
and  contradictory  theories  are  continually  being  advanced. 


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A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


One  writer  advises  his  readers  never  to  go  out  into  the  open 
air  until  the  system  is  fortified  by  a  good  breakfast,  yet 
many  people  have  been  wonderfully  improved  in  health  by 
abandoning  the  early  morning  meal,  because,  says  Dr. 
Dewey,  during  sleep  the  body  is  without  exercise,  and  there 
is  The  minimum  of  waste,  and  little,  if  any,  to  repair  on 
awakening,  and  consequently  there  is  no  immediate  neces¬ 
sity  for  food. 

A  newspaper  recently  stated  that  ‘fruits  in  general  are 
ill  adapted  to  sustain  human  life  for  any  length  of  time 
because  they  contain  remarkably  little  matter  that  is  con¬ 
vertible,  when  eaten,  into  muscle  and  blood.  Bananas 
and  grapes  have  two  per  cent.,  while  apples,  cherries,  straw¬ 
berries,  blackberries,  cranberries,  lemons,  and  oranges  are 
able  to  lay  claim  to  only  one  per  cent.— this,  too,  when 
skins  and  seeds  are  put  aside.’ 

But  a  teacher  of  ‘Zoism‘  states  that  the  ‘Zoist  avoids, 
as  far  as  possible,  all  cooked  foods:  even  cooked  vegetables 
and  grains.  He  eats  raw  meal,  raw  fruit,  raw  nuts.  The 
raw  apple  contains  more  zone  than  a  whole  plateful  of 
cooked  food ’ ! 

Another  ‘new  school’  medical  man  says:  ‘There  is  this 
to  be  said  about  fruits,  that  all  those  containing  acids  de¬ 
compose  the  gastric  juice,  as  they  all  contain  potash  salts 
in  union  with  free  acids.  As  soon  as  they  reach  the  stomach 
the  free  hydrochloric  acid  of  the  gastric  juice  unites  with 
the  potash,  setting  the  fruit  acid  free  to  irritate  the 
stomach.  There  is  never  any  desire  for  acid  fruits  through 
real  hunger,  especially  those  of  the  hyperacid  kinds;  they 
are  simply  taken  to  gratify  that  lower  sense — relish.  .  . 

Because  of  the  general  impression  that  they  are  healthful, 
and  no  tax,  human  stomachs  are  converted  into  cider  mills 
at  will,  regardless  of  between-meal  times.  By  their  ravish¬ 
ing  flavor  and  apparent  ease  of  digestion,  apples  still  play 
an  important  part  in  the  “fall  of  man”  from  that  higher 
estate,  the  Eden  without  its  dyspepsia.  .  .  Tropical 

fruits  are  without  acids,  and  are  therefore  well  adapted  to 
a  class  of  people  who  have  only  the  least  use  for  muscle  and 
brain.  Acid  fruits  can  only  be  taken  with  apparent  im- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  247 

punity  by  the  young  and  old  who  can  generate-  gastric  juice 
copiously.  ’ 

EVERY  ONE  MUST  JUDGE  FOR  HIMSELF. 

‘The  working  energy  of  a  pound  of  pulse  (beans,  peas, 
lentils),’  says  a  ‘Zoist,’  ‘is  three  times  as  great  as  the 
working  energy  tontained  in  one  pound  of  beefsteak’;  and, 
according  to  this  same  authority,  ‘raw  oatmeal  is  the  ideal 
food’;  and  further,  he  asserts  that  ‘vegetarianism  is  the 
rock  upon  which  health  is  built.  ’ 

Professor  Huxley,  however,  pointed  out  that  ‘mere 
chemical  analysis  is,  by  itself,  a  very  insufficient  guide  as 
to  the  usefulness  and  nutritive  value  of  an  article  of  food. 
A  substance  to  be  nutritious  must  not  only  contain  some 
or  other  of  the  food-stuffs.  but  contain  them  in  an  avail¬ 
able — that  is,  digestible  form.  A  piece  of  beefsteak  is  far 
more  nourishing  than  a  quantity  of  pease-pudding  contain¬ 
ing  even  a  larger  proportion  of  proteid  material,  because 
the  former  is  far  more  digestible  than  the  latter.  And  a 
small  piece  of  dry,  hard  cheese,  though  of  high  nutritive 
value  as  judged  by  mere  chemical  analysis,  will  not  satisfy 
the  more  subtile  criticism  of  the  stomach  ’ 

We  are  reminded  by  the  foregoing  contradictory  state¬ 
ments  of  the  old  saying  that  ‘.What  is  one  man’s  meat 
(food)  is  another  man’s  poison.’  The  powers  of  digestion 
vary,  and  while  some  people  may  thrive  on  uncooked  grains 
and  pulse,  others  may  starve  if  they  attempt  to  live  upon 
such  a  diet.  Every  one  must  be  a  law  unto  himself.  We 
have  seen  bright,  intelligent,  earnest  young  men  abandon 
flesh  and  adopt,  vegetarian  formulas  and  foods;  but,  while 
some  succeeded  in  discovering  what  suited  their  constitu¬ 
tions  and  continued  their  vegetarian  methods,  the  majority 
had  to  return  to  a  mixed  diet. 

EAT  TO  LIVE,  NOT  LIVE  TO  EAT. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  many  people  eat  too  fast 
and  too  often,  and  consequently  eat  too  much,  and  add  to 
the  difficulties  of  digestion  by  failing  to  thoroughly  masti¬ 
cate  their  food  and  by  drowning  it  in  the  stomach  with 
liquids  of  one  sort  or  another;  and  Dr.  Dewey  advocates 


248 


A  Guide  to  Medi uniship 


abstinence  from  food  until  midday,  or  until  ‘keen  hunger’ 
is  felt,  even  if  it  is  necessary  to  wait  for  days  or  weeks. 
He  distinguishes  between  ‘appetite’  and  ‘hunger.’  Appe¬ 
tite  he  regards  as  a  fictitious  and  unhealthy  prompting  for 
food,  which  arises  in  the  stomach — mainly  the  result  of 
habit — and  is  often  due  to  gas  engendered  by  undigested 
food  remaining  there,  which  thus  creates  a  false  craving. 
Hunger,  on  the  other  hand,  is  experienced  in  the  throat 
and  mouth,  and  the  keen  desire  for  food  makes  its  posses¬ 
sor  feel  as  though  he  could  eat  and  relish  almost  anything. 
Food  should  be  wisely  selected,  thoroughly  and  slowly  mas¬ 
ticated,  and  kept  in  the  mouth  until  all  flavor  has  left  it. 
By  this  process  it  is  best  prepared  for  the  stomach  to  deal 
with  it,  and  one  gets  the  full  pleasure  of  eating,  and 
relishes  the  goodness  of  the  flavor.  Drink  should  not  be 
taken  at  meals,  nor  within  half  an  hour  before  or  two  hours 
after  a  meal,  and  it  should  be  sipped  rather  than  gulped 
down.  Two  meals  a  day  will  be  found  adequate  to  main¬ 
tain  perfect  health  and  strength  without  stimulants  or 
drugs  of  any  description,  and  those  who  are  making  too 
much  flesh  will  find  the  adoption  of  the  plan  of  living  out¬ 
lined  above  a  ready,  easy,  healthy  way  to  reduce  their  sub¬ 
stance,  while  those  who  are  weak  and  wasted  will  develop 
to  normal  proportions,  and  gain  vigor  and  elasticity. 

Excessive  attention  to  the  question  of  food  and  drink 
(constant  and  anxious  thought  ns  regards  when,  what,  how 
much  or  how  little  food  shall  be  taken)  is  as  great  an  error 
on  the  part  of  the  vegetarian  as  the  epicure.  Both  attach 
too  much  importance  to  what  should  be  pleasant  interludes 
in  the  daily  round.  ‘Eat  to  live,  not  live  to  eat,’  should  be 
the  motto,  and  feeding  should  take  its  place  as  an  incident, 
not  an  end. 

DEEP  BREATHING. 

Too  much  time  has  been  spent  in  looking  everywhere 
outside  ourselves  for  ‘the  Kingdom,’  whereas  the  secret  of 
life  and  strength  is  to  be  found  within.  We  mainly  create 
our  conditions  and  environments  by  the  thoughts  we  en¬ 
tertain,  the  habits  we  form,  and  the  attitude  of  mind  that 
we  adopt — or  to  which  we  surrender.  That  the  ‘breath  is 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


249 


the  life’  is  even  more  true  than  the  familiar  adage,  ‘The 
blood  is  the  life,’  for  is  not  the  blood  dependent  iipon  the 
air  we  breathe  for  the  oxygen  which  vitalizes  it?  Nay, 
more;  if,  as  we  are  assured,  a  psychical  or  etherial  atmos¬ 
phere  permeates  the  whole  universe,  then  right,  deep 
breathing  of  pure  air  should  not  only  strengthen  us  phy¬ 
sically  but  stimulate  and  sustain  us  spiritually.  One  of  the 
first  essentials  for  this  kind  of  breathing  is  that  it  should 
be  intentional.  The  ‘elixir  of  fife’  will  be  found  by  those 
who  learn  to  breathe  the  vitalizing  breath  by  which  energy 
is  renewed,  the  brain  nourished,  the  body  strengthened,  the 
will-power  intensified,  the  magnetic  power  augmented  and 
its  restorative  potency  increased,  so  that  they  will  be  able 
to  maintain  their  own  health  and  dispense  healing  ‘virtue 
to  others.’ 

In  his  ‘New  Thought  Essays,’  Mr.  Charles  Brodie  Pat¬ 
terson  contends  that  physical  exercise  is  of  little  benefit 
save  as  it  becomes  the  vehicle  for  ‘the  expression  of  inner 
things.  Strong,  true,  uplifting  desire  causes  us  to  breathe 
strongly  and  deeply,  while  weak,  vacillating,  and  false  de¬ 
sires  result  in  mere  superficial  breathing.  The  thought  of 
anything  black  produces  a  restraining  influence  on  the 
breath,  while  the  thought  of  something  white  or  yellow  in¬ 
variably  tends  to  freedom  in  breathing.  It  is  evident,  he 
affirms,  that  the  breath  is  affected  by  different  mental  emo¬ 
tions;  thus  hate  or  anger  cause  short  quick  breathing, 
while  loving  and  peaceful  thoughts  are  accompanied  by 
deep,  long  breaths.  It  is  therefore  possible,  through 
thought  action  alone,  to  effect  a  marked  change  in  the  cir- 
eulafTofTof  the  blood,  but,  with  a  mentally  controlled  and 
directed  action  of  the  breath,  such  a  change  may  be  more 
rapidly  and  effectually  produced.  This  practice  will  also  aid 
in  the  development  of  the  power  of  mental  concentration, 
and  this  is  most  important,  because  it  is  not  so  much  the 
long,  deep  breath  that  gives  the  strong,  true  tFought, as  it  is 
the  strong,  true  thought  that  gives  the  long,  deep  breath. 
Under  controlled  and  directed  action  the  breath  penetrates, 
or  circulates,  among  all  the  molecules  of  the  body,  and  it 
will  therefore  be  readily  realized  how  important  it  is  for 
all  who  desire  to  retain  good  health,  or  to  regain  it,  that 


250 


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they  should  recognize  the  need  for  intentional  and  helpful 
deep  breathing.  And  not  only  so  for  physical  well-being, 
but  as  man  grows  more  spiritual — as  his  desires  become 
more  centered  in  the  inner  conscious  world — this  practice 
of  deep  breathing  will  undoubtedly  facilitate  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  ‘inner  breathing’  by  which  his  psychical  powers 
are  liberated  and  his  entrance  into  the  ‘superior  state’  is 
secured,  in  which  condition  he  may  be  said  to  become  ‘a 
spirit  among  spirits,  ’  and  have  the  higher  life  opened  to  his 
aspiring  and  responsive  soul. 

Many  teachers  of  the  art  of  deep  breathing  are  present¬ 
ing  their  theories,  and  rules,  and  lessons  to  the  world,  and 
the  student  may  possibly  gather  something  helpful  from 
each  one;  but  the  great  requisite  is  practice— again  and 
again,  and  yet  again — until,  by  thi  application  of  the  mind 
to  the  task  and  the  performance  of  the  effort,  beneficial  re¬ 
sults  are  realized  in  added  power  and  confidence. 

Of  course  the  ideal  to  be  attained  is,  correct  breathing 
all  the  time,  under  all  circumstances!  But  as  this  will  fol¬ 
low  as  a  matter  of  habit,  after  the  preliminary  work  of 
overcoming  the  results  of  wrong  methods  of  breathing  has 
been  accomplished,  it  may  be  necessary  at  first  to  have 
stated  times  in  which  to  follow  definite  rules,  until  one  be¬ 
comes  accustomed  to  the  persistent,  continuous,  and  nat¬ 
ural  process  of  deep  breathing. 

AUTO-SUGGESTION,  OR  THE  MIND  CURE. 

Self-suggestion  plays  an  important  part  in  all  mental 
and  psychical  processes — hence  much  more  satisfactory 
health  results  will  be  attained,  and  spiritual  evolution  will 
be  more  rapid,  if  an  expectant  attitude  is  maintained.  ‘I 
know  I  cannot  do  it, ’  or,  ‘I  do  not  believe  it  does  much 
good,’  are  phrases  which  indicate  the  ‘doubting  Thomas’ 
frame  of  mind,  and  doubt  weakens  the  will,  eats  out  the 
heart  of  Hope,  and  lays  the  victim  open  to  enervating  chills 
and  consuming  fevers ;  whereas  a  calm,  confident,  and  ex¬ 
pectant  spirit  is  affirmative  and  gives  the  ‘suggestion’  of 
success  which  calls  forth  latent  energy  and  accomplishes 
the  desired  good. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


231 


Many  people  unconsciously  practice  ‘mind  cure’ — they 
simply  will  not  be  ill ;  they  refuse  to  give  in  to  the  feelings 
of  depression,  lassitude,  weakness  or  pain,  and  struggle 
hopefully  on,  and  in  the  end  Nature  responds  to  their 
call,  and  they  grow  well  and  strong.  What  some  people 
do  instinctively  and  without  predetermination  might  be 
done  by  all  intentionally  and  systematical^.  Drugs  do  not 
cure  any  more  than  splints  heal  a  broken  leg.  The  repair¬ 
ing  and  restorative  powers  are  inherent  in  the  spirit,  and 
operate,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  ^voluntarily;  the 
mind  or  psychical  cure,  aims  to  assist  Nature  by  auto-sug¬ 
gestion,  by  voluntary  co-operation  and  control. 

That  the  body  affects  our  moods  and  influences  our  feel¬ 
ings  is  universally  admitted,  and  the  well-known  answer  to 
the  question,  ‘Is  life  worth  living?’ — ‘That  depends  upon 
the  liver,’  embodies  the  popular  conception  of  our  mental 
subserviency  to  physical  states;  but  in  another  sense  it  is 
equally  true  that  the  worth  of  life  depends  upon  the  liver — 
the  manner  of  life  of  the  individual;  and  in  this  sense. the 
mind  affects  the  body  and  can  largely  master  its  weaknesses. 
By  well-directed  and  sustained  mental  application  and  the 
maintenance  of  an  optimistic"  frame  of  mind,  we  may  ex¬ 
ert  a  healing  and  strengthening  influence  upon  our  organs, 
and  tune  up  the  whole  system  to  a  healthy  state. 

By  adopting  an  affirmative  and  expectant  attitude;  by 
commanding  the  psychical  forces  and  directing  them  to 
flow  with  positive  power  towards  the  particular  organ  or 
part  of  the  body  which  is  weak  or  diseased,  we  can  do  a 
great  deal  towards  self-cure,  especially  if  such  self-sugges- 
iion  is  accompanied  by  deep  breathing,  daily  baptism,  tem¬ 
perate  living,  healthful  exercise,  cheerful  company,  and 
adequate  rest. 

THE  BETTER  WAY  MUST  BE  FOLLOWED. 

The  mere  denial  of  inharmonious  conditions,  or  of  dis¬ 
ease,  will  not  wipe  them  out.  The  assertion  that  ‘all  is  good’ 
will  not  make  selfishness  and  vice  lovely  and  of  good  re¬ 
pute,  and  nothing  is  to  be  gained  by  paltering  with  ob¬ 
vious  facts  or  blinding  oneself  to  their  existence.  We  may 
think  ourselves  on  to  a  higher  plane,  and.  by  using  our  soul 


252 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 


forces,  attune  our  natures  so  that  to  the  pure  all  things 
are  pure,  and  we  may  express  the  powers  of  the  spirit. 
But,  all  the  same,  ignorance,  sorrow,  injustice,  folly,  mis¬ 
ery  and  vice  are  unwholesome  conditions  that  abound  in  the 
world,  and  evil — to  those  who  practice  it  and  experience 
its  dire  penalties — is  a  very  real  fact.  Selfishness  and  crime 
are  not  merely  ‘undeveloped  good,’  nor  are  they  ‘good  in 
the  making,’  but  are  to  be  overcome  and  out-grown;  and 
the  better  way  of  obedience  to  the  law  of  love  must  be  fol¬ 
lowed  to  secure  health  and  happiness. 

Probably  one  of  the  best  methods  of  bringing  the  mind 
to  its  bearings,  and  the  body  into  tune  with  the  laws  of 
right,  will  be  found  in  a  determination  to  possess  the  body 
instead  of  being  governed  by  it — to  live  in  it  and  delight 
in  it;  to  enjoy  its  energy  and  bring  it  into  healthy  relations 
with  the  spiritual  realm,  and  rejoice  in  the  beautiful  world 
of  which  it  forms  a  part. 

Far  too  many  people  go  through  life  blind  to  its  beau¬ 
ties  and  deaf  to  its  harmonies  and  conscious  only  of  the 
‘slings  and  arrows  of  outrageous  fortune,’  when,  by  belief 
in  themselves  and  knowledge  of  their  own  thought-power, 
they  might  realize  much  of  joy  and  find  many  occasions  for 
thankfulness  and  delight.  They  have  a  kind  of  morbid 
twist  or  kink  in  their  natures.  They  nurse  their  ailments 
and  thrive  in  an  atmosphere  of  gloom.  They  love  to  pour 
forth  their  complaints  and  enlarge  upon  their  sufferings. 
They  are  only  happy  when  they  are  miserable.  They  de¬ 
cline  to  be  cured,  because  they  long  for  sympathy,  and 
worry  others  who  serve  them.  They  would  complain  if 
they  were  well,  an  because  they  had 

‘Nothing  whatever  to  grumble  at.’ 

As  Horatio  Dresser  says,  ‘The  mind  is  limited  in  power 
and  must  choose;  for  there  is  literally  no  room  both  for 
trouble  and  trust,’  and  these  people,  instead  of  heeding 
the  motto:  ‘Never  trouble  trouble  until  trouble  troubles 
you’ — and  then  making  short  work  of  it — look  upon  them¬ 
selves  as  so  all-important  that  they  try  to  have  everything 
and  everybody  circulate  around  them ;  instead  of  trusting 
and  expressing,  their  inner  powers  of  love  for  and  sym¬ 
pathy  with  others. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


253 


SELF-CURE  BY  WILL  CULTURE  AND  THOUGHT  POWER. 

Those  who  are  ill  in  body  or  mind  may  do  a  great  deal 
for  their  own  restoration  to  normal  and  healthy  conditions 
by  cultivating  the  health-habit-of-thought,  by  adopting  an 
affirmative  and  cheery  frame  of  mind.  Instead  of  self- 
pity  and  coddling  when  ailing,  one  can  accomplish  great 
things  by  ignoring  the  pains  and  turning  attention  away 
from  them.°  ‘Oh!  I’m  all  right!’  is  a  self-suggestion  pit 
tends  to  tune  up  the  nerves  and  induce  a  healthy  condition. 

The  cultivation  of  the  will,  the  calling  up  of  the  re¬ 
serve  forces  in  the  system,  the  directing  of  the  vital  auras 
Fo  the  seat  of  the  suffering,  the  centreing  of  the  strong 
healing  thought  upon  the  afflicted  part— at  the  same  time 
breathing  deeply,  regularly,  and  hopefully — will  go  a  long 
way  towards  effecting  a  cure. 

Change  of  surroundings  and  occupations  and  compan¬ 
ions  will  frequently  prove  effective  in  lifting  the  sufferer 
from  ‘the  blues’  into  a  happier  frame  of  mind.  So  in¬ 
timately  are  body  and  mind  related,  so  closely  do  they 
act  and  re-act,  that  what  helps  one  helps  the  other;  but 
the  mind  is  involved  in  all  attempts  to  secure  and  preserve 
good  physical  health,  because  attention,  interest,  thought, 
concentration  of  energy,  and  storng  desire  are  requisite  if 
one  is  to  befaithfnl  in  well-doing  until  the  habit  is  formed 
and  it  becomes  natural,  easy,  to  be  well,  cheerful,  patient, 
and  true.  Then  it  is  possible  to  be  healthy  and  happy 
automatically — spontaneously — without  thinking  about  it 
orTalung  any  pride  in  it;  and  psychical  luedidity  will  in¬ 
crease,  and  activity  upon  the  higher  plane  will  be  a  source 
of  strength  and  delight. 

CONCENTRATION  AND  ABSTRACTION. 

A  great  deal  has  been  written  of  late  in  praise  of  con¬ 
centration,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  indispensable 
to  successful  self-culture  and  the  expression  of  one’s  own 
spirit.  Business  men  find  that  they  have  to  concentrate 
their  energies  and  deal  with  one  thing  at  a  time.  The 
ability  to  thus  bring  the  mind  to  a  point,  to  focalize  the 
attention  upon  the  work  in  hand,  also  requires  that  one 


254 


A  Guide  io  Mediumship 


should  be  able  to  abstract  himself  from  his  surroundings. 
This  is  being  done  every  day  by  hosts  of  people  who  are 
unmoved,  undistrubed  in  the  midst  of  bustle  and  noise. 
By  this  means  it  is  possible  to  isolate  oneself  and  be  alone 
in  the  midst  of  a  crowd.  It  gives  the  power  of  self-mas¬ 
tery;  the  ability  to  select  thoughts;  to  take  things  in  de¬ 
tail;  to  evolve  order  out  of  confusion ;"  to  establish  system ; 
to  train  and  discipline  the  will;  to  acquire  lucidity;  to  hold 
an  idea  in  mind — study  it,  comtemplate  it,  and  understand 
it  before  passing  on  to  the  next.  It  strengthens  one’s  in¬ 
individuality,  increases  self-reliance,  and  develops  firmness 
and  decision  of  character.  It  will  enable  one  to  overcome 
moods  and  regulate  impulses  and  acquire  the  art  of  atten¬ 
tion  to  details. 

By  the  practice  of  the  art  of  concentration  one  may,  by 
introspection,  retire  into  himself  and  become  so  pre-occu- 
pied  on  the  inner  plane  of  his  consciousness  as  to  be  en¬ 
tirely  oblivious  to  external  surroundings.  By  this  process 
of  self-abstraction  the  outer  senses  are  overcome  and  all 
the  energies  are  centred  upon  the  soul,  which  becomes  in¬ 
tensely  conscious  and  sensitive,  and  its  powers  of  intuitive 
perception  are  liberated,  and  psychical  experiences  of  a 
rich  ancl' varied  character  may  be  enjoyed.  But  it  is  not 
possible  to  be  on  the  mountain-tops,  breathing  the  rare 
atmosphere  and  surveying  the  golden  landscapes  of  the 
higher  life,  all  the  time — such  delights  are  the  rewards  for 
fidelity,  and  purity,  and  service,  and  cannot  be  expected 
continuously;  they  should  act  as  stimulants  to  the  perform¬ 
ance  of  ‘the  daily  round,  the  common  task’  of  every-day 
life.  While  we  are  on  this  side  we  must  not  expect  to  be 
able  to  take  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  by  force ;  we  must  keep 
touch  with  the  world  and  maintain  our  equilibrium.  An¬ 
drew  Jackson  Davis  wisely  says:  ‘It  is  right  to  think  and 
meditate  often  and  profoundly  upon  things  spiritual  and 
heavenly.  But  it  is  dangerous  to  keep  your  mind  con¬ 
centrated  upon  any  subject  so  steadily  and  so  protractedly 
that  “you  cannot  think  of  anything  else.”’  That  way 
madness  lies. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


255 


CHAPTER  V. 

PSYCHOMETRY,  CLAIRVOYANCE,  AND  HEALING. 

Near  to  us,  on  the  other  side  of  a  very  thin  veil,  lies  a 
great  realm  of  life  which  has  the  closest  connection  with 
our  own.  What  that  connection  is  we  at  present  only 
dimly  discern.  Our  organs  of  perception  seem  only  in 
the  most  rudimentary  condition.  It  may  be  that  our  later 
indifference  on  this  side  has  hindered  their  development. 
But  develop  they  must,  for  they  are  amongst  liumantiy’s 
most  priceless  possessions. — ‘Christian  World.’ 

Th<y sight  of  the  spiritual  eye  is  a  faculty  which  will  be 
normally  execised  when  you  are  dead.  At  present  it  is  a 
subjective  or  abnormal  faculty.  This  subjective  sight  is  a 
possibility  of  every  human  being;  and  under  certain  con- 
dTfTofis  it  Tam  be  cultivated;  this  visual  sensitiveness  can 
BiT"created  whereby  you  may  come  into  sympathetic  rela¬ 
tionship  with  subjective  conditions  and  be  able  to  discern 
them  through  the  external  faculties  of  the  consciousness. 


It  will  be  readily  admitted  that  for  the  most  of  us  the 
range  of  our  perceptions  is  not  entirely  limited  to  the 
effects  produced  by  visible  external  phenomena,  and  that 
a  great  variety  of  sensations  are  experienced  which  cannot 
be  traced,  at  least  directly,  to  observation  of  occurrences 
in  the  ordinary  physical  surroundings.  We  are  suscept¬ 
ible  to  influences  which  do  not  affect  us  through  the  senses, 
and  yet  they  cause  a  quickening  of  thought,  a  clearness  of 
mental  vision,  and  an  ability  to  sense  or  perceive  the  actu¬ 
ality  of  spirtual  associations.  This  susceptibility  is  indi¬ 
cated  by  the  well-known  fact  that  many  people  upon  their 
first  introduction  to  others  have  an  instinctive  sense  of 


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attraction  or  repulsion.  Sometimes  there  is  a  feeling  of 
repulsion  when,  by  all  external  indications,  it  would  seem 
that  the  feeling  should  be  just  the  reverse.  In  some  cases, 
after  an  acquaintance  of  but  a  few  moments,  the  sympathy 
between  two  people  is  such  that  they  feel  as  though  they 
had  known  each  other  for  years. 

The  curious  premonitions  which  so  frequently  affect 
sensitives  indicate  the  existence  of  powers,  inherent  in 
their  nature,  by  which  they  may  relate  themselves  to  the 
great  thought  atmosphere  which  envelopes  us  all — the 
great  sphere  of  causative  forces  which  we  but  dimly  re¬ 
cognize.  Most  people  are  more  or  less  familiar  with  the 
feeling  that  something  is  going  to  happen ;  the  sensation 
that  something  is  ‘in  the  air,’  or,  as  it  has  been  said,  ‘com¬ 
ing  events  cast  their  shadow's  before  them’;  and  Dr.  J.  M. 
Peebles,  writing  on  this  point,  says:  ‘Visitors  often  call 
upon  us  while  the  air  is  .yet  vibrant  with  our  earnest  wrords 
concerning  them.  Approaching  us  they  thought  of  us.  and 
thus  thinking,  they  projected  their  thought  along  the  in¬ 
terstellar  waves  of  ether,  which  impinging  upon  our  aural 
thought-sphere,  induced  us  to  speak  of  them.  Thought 
kindles  thought.  And  so  thought  responds  to  thought  as 
do  notes  on  the  musical  scale  to  music.’ 

Just  as  one  musician  can  give  expression  to  the  soul  of 
harmony  to  an  extent  that  others  vainly  endeavor  to  reach, 
so  the  aptitudes  of  people  on  the  psychical  plane  vary. 
Some  have  natural  psychometric  power.  They  weigh,  ‘size 
up,’  and  measure  the  people  with  whom  they  come  in  con¬ 
tact  almost  at  once.  Their  ‘first  impressions’  are  gener¬ 
ally  psychical  or  intuitive.  Others  are  naturally  clair¬ 
voyant,  and  have  possessed  the  factulty  from  birth,  but 
have  been  afraid  to  trust  or  exercise  it.  So,  too,  many 
speakers,  although  they  never  lose  consciousness,  are  aware 
that  they  are  impelled  to  say  things  they  had  not  intended 
to  utter,  that  ideas  flow  into  their  minds.  These  are  all 
natural  experiences,  and  everyone  can  more  or  less  suc¬ 
cessfully  develop  and  enjoy  some  one  or  other  of  the  pow¬ 
ers  of  spiritual  perception.  By  study  and  effort  one  may 
become  sufficiently  sensitive  to  respond  consciously  to  the 
psychical  conditions  of  object,  places,  or  persons,  and 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


sufficiently  expert  to  eliminate  foreign  influences  and  per¬ 
ceive  the  quality  and  character  of  the  especial  aura  of  a 
given  article  or  of  an  individual. 

THE  VIBRATORY  THEORY. 

It  it  believed  by  many  thinkers  that  a  subtle  spiritual 
ether  pervades  the  whole  universe ;  that  fT  is  by  means  of 
the  vibrations  of  this  omnipresent  substance,  fluid,  or  force, 
that  thought  impulses  are  transmitted  from  one  conscious¬ 
ness  to  another.  It  is  suggested  that  just  as  the  sensations 
which  we  experience,  and  denominate  light,  heat,  color,  and 
somid,  are  due  to  wave  motions  of  the  atmosphere  of  vary¬ 
ing  length,  rapidity,  and  intensity,  so  those  people  who 
are  sympathetic  and  ‘open’  to  certain  mental  states  may 
be  affected  by,  and  respond  to.  the  wave-motions  of  the 
spiritual  ether  that  are  due  to  the  thought  impulses  from 
active  thinkers  who  are  upon  the  same  plane,  or  of  a  like 
order. 

If  this  theory  be  true,  and  it  seems  to  be  the  one  which 
will  best  cover  the  ground  of  the  observed  facts,  we  are 
bathing  in  an  ocean  whose  waves  are  continually  surging 
around,  upon,  and  through  us,  and  we  may  be  unconscious¬ 
ly  responding  to  influences  which  set  us  thrilling  with 
hope  and  inspiration,  with  passion  or  despair.  When  once 
the  key-note  of  our  being  to  touched,  whether  physical, 
mental,  moral,  or  spiritual,  we  shall  vibrate  in  unison  with 
the  impulses  that  enter  our  psychical  sphere,  and  therefore 
we  needto  learn  how  to  strike  the  key  and  pitch  the  tune ; 
how  to  give  direction  to  the  currents,  and  dominate,  instead 
of  being  dominated  by,  these  unseen  but  potent  envir- 
onings. 

It  is  further  held  that  the  human  spirit  is  a  centre  of 
potential  energy — an  Intelligence  that  can  cultivate  the 
ability  to  draw  upon  and  utilize  the  etheric,  or  spiritual, 
forces  which  pervade  the  universe — and  radiates  auric 
emanations  Which  are  healthful  or  injurious,  moral  or  de¬ 
basing,  spiritual  or  gross,  according  to  the  degree  of  un- 
foldment  of  the  higher  self  that  has  been  attained ;  and 
that  these  impalpable  potencies  are  substantial  on  the  psy- 


258 


A  Guide  to  Medhtmship 


chieal  piano  to  the  cultivated  senses  of  those  who  are  gifted 
enough  to  perceive  them. 

Mrs.  Denton,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  psychometric 
sensitives,  has  suggestively  asked:  ‘Are  we  absolutely  cer¬ 
tain  that  sounds  can  be  conveyed  to  the  human  ear  only 
by  the  atmosphere,  or  by  some  outward,  tangible  sub- 
sTahceTr  She  suggests  that  ‘some  fluid,  infintely  more  re¬ 
fined  than  is  our  atmosphere,  conducts  to  our  interior  sense 
of  hearing  vibrations  which  the  atmosphere  fails  to  convey 
fcf  the  bar’;  and  she  further  supposes  that  ‘all  matter  re¬ 
tains  in  a  latent  condition  whatever  force  may  hitherto 
have  been  applied  to  it,  and  that  by  the  perception  of  these 
latent  conditions,  the  psychometer  may,  when  this  faculty 
shall  become  more  fully  developed,  arrive  at  the  facts  of 
all  past  time.’  She  adds  that  usually,  in  her  own  case  at 
least,  these  sounds  are  perceived  rather  than  heard. 


SPIRITUAL  PERCEPTION. 

All  consciousness  of  ordinary  sensation  through  the 
five  senses  is  in  reality  Perception.  Psychometric  percep¬ 
tion  is  a  spiritual  process — it  is  first-hand  cognition  of  the 
soul  by  the  soul.  It  is  the  perception  and  interpretation 
of  those  vibrations  which  produce  sensation  in  the  inner 
self  and  touch  the  soul-side  of  us  directly.  By  this  means 
we  can  indeed  exercise  the  gift  of  ‘discerning’  the  spirits 
(minds  and  dispositions)  of  men;  and  by  the  extension  of 
the  same  soul  faculties  we  may  veritably  become  clairvoy¬ 
ant  and  see  spirit  people,  and  exercise  a  beneficent  in¬ 
fluence  upon  those  who  come  within  our  sphere. 

The  cultivation  of  these  powers  of  the  soul  should  prove 
of  great  advantage  to  the  student  of  the  laws  of  being,  and 
even  to  the  ordinary  person,  as  he  would  be  enabled  to, 
practically  apply  the  knowledge  gained  in  many  ways  in 
the  avocations  of  a  busy  life.  The  psychometric  power  of 
soul-sensing  would  enable  its  possessor  to  perceive  the  real 
thought  and  purpose  of  those  with  whom  he  had  business 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


259 

transactions,  and  any  attempt  at  double  dealing  could  be 
frustrated  or  discounted  by  him.  * 

THE  PSYCHICAL  TEMPERAMENT. 

Persons  of  a  highly-strung  nervous  organization,  with 
large  perceptive  faculties  and  good  ‘language,’  make  the 
best  psychometrists.  They  need  what  the  phrenologists 
call  flie  organ  of  ideality  and  sublimity  well  developed  to 
render  them  impressionable.  Phlegmatic,  positive  people 
seldom  visualize,  and  are  not  likely  to  develop  the  power 
of  receptivity  to  impalpable  ‘influences.’ 

PSYCHOMETRY. 

The  psychometrist  runs  little  or  no  risk  of  danger  or 
cf  injury  to  himself  from  the  auras  of  other  persons,  pro¬ 
vided  he  guards  against  noxious  influences  and  avoids 
mixed  conditions.  Letters,  clothes,  hair,  coins,  ornaments, 
or  jewels — in  fact,  almost  any  article  which  has  belonged 
to,  or  has  been  worn  by,  its  possessor  for  any  length  of  time, 
will  suffice  to  enable  the  sensitive  to  relate  himself  to,  and 
catch  impressions  of,  the  personal  sphere  of  that  indi¬ 
vidual.  Some  psychics  succeed  better  with  certain  kinds 
of  articles  than  with  others.  Metals  are  not  good  con¬ 
ductors — if  we  may  use  that  term — to  some  operators ;  but, 
while  minerals  are  unsatisfactory  to  them,  they  are  espe¬ 
cially  favorable  to  others.  Thus  some  psychometers  are 
good  character  readers,  others  are  successful  in  the  diagnosis 
T)f  disease :  some  can  read  the  book  of  Nature,  while  to 
others  it  is  a  sealed  volume,  or  nearly  so,  but  they  are  able 
to  gauge  the  mental  qualifications  of  their  subjects,  wTtile 
others  realize  their  moral  qualities  and  spiritual  states. 

*  Mr.  A.  Morton  says  in  ‘Psychic  Studies' :  ‘Many  detectives  have 
gained  reputations  for  keenness  of  perception  and  skilfulness  in 
their  pursuits,  whose  success  was  owing  to  the  directions  obtained 
through  clairvoyant,  mediums;  and  many  physicians  have  gained 
renown  for  their  skill  in  correctly  diagnosing  obscure  cases  from 
information  gained  through  the  examinations  made  by  psychometric 
mediums.’ 


260 


Guide  to  Mediumship 


Some  read  the  Past  and  enter  into  the  Present  states  or 
conditions  of  their  ‘clients,’  while  others  are  succesful  in 
exercising  prophetical  prevision.  These  differences  may 
be  modified  and  the  boundaries  of  the  perceptive  power 
may  be  extended  by  self-study,  experiment,  and  culture; 
but  every  seer  has  his  qualifications  and  his  limitations;  one 
will  succeed  where  another  may  fail;  hence  it  is  well  and 
wise  for  each  one  to  discover  what  he  can  do,  what  sphere 
lie  can  best  occupy,  and  endeavor  to  fill  it. 

COMMUNITY  OP  SENSATIONS. 

A  psychometrist  may,  by  holding  a  letter  in  his  hand 
or  puting  it  to  his  forehead,  be  able  to  perceive  and  delin¬ 
eate  the  personal  appearance  to  the  writer,  ‘take  on’  his 
conditions,  describe  his  feelings  and  thoughts  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  identify  himself  with  him  and  feel,  for  the 
time  being,  as  if  he  is  the  writer ;  he  may  even  tell  what  is 
written  in  the  letter  although  unable  to  see  the  writing. 

Human  hair  is  foiuid  by  some  psvehometrists  to  give 
them  the  best  means  of  coming  into  touch  with  their  sub¬ 
jects,  and  should,  it  is  said,  be  cut  from  the  head  just  be¬ 
hind  the  ears,  as  close  to  the  scalp  as  possible.  AVe  have 
heard  of  instances  in  which  other  than  human  hair  has 
been  sent  to  psychics,  and  while  in  some  cases  the  trick  has 
been  detected,  in  others  ‘readings’  have  been  sent  in  good 
faith.  Under  such  circumstances  the  sender  cannot  com¬ 
plain  if  he  gets  back  what  he  sends:  he  deals  falsely  with 
the  psychic  quite  as  much  as  if  he  lied  to  him,  and  if  he 
gets  an  erroneous  reply  the  responsibility  is  his  own ;  but 
even  though  the  hair  of  an  animal  may  be  sent,  it  is  quite 
possible  that  the  psychic  may,  through  its  agency,  establish 
relations  with  the  person  who  sends  it,  and  correctly  tf»aee 
his  ‘life-line.’  Still,  it  is  nop  a  fair  test,  and  we  should 
advise  the  investigator  to  be  honest  and  frank  if  he  wishes 
to  get  truthful  results. 

It  not  infrequently  happens  that  a  psychic  gets  upon 
the  wrong  trail,  so  to  speak,  and  especially  so  when  the 
inquirer  is  suspicious,  or  when  there  is  a  mixture  of  in¬ 
fluences.  A  fan,  passed  by  a  lady  to  a  sitter  in  the  front 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


261 


row  at  a  meeting,  and  held  by  the  latter  for  a  few  minutes 
while  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  hand  it  up  to  the  psy¬ 
chic,  led  to  a  blending  of  auras  which  resulted  in  a  ‘de¬ 
scription’  which  was  said  by  the  owner  of  the  fan  to  be 
‘only  partly  correct’;  but  the  gentleman  by  whom  the  fan 
had  been  handled  exclaimed,  ‘I  fully  recognize  the  part 
of  the  description  which  the  lady  does  not  admit — it  ap¬ 
plies  to  me  perfectly.’  Hence  the  necessity  for  care  in 
providing  articles  for  psychics.  A  ring,  for  instance,  which 
has  been  in  the  family  for  generations  and  handed  on  from 
one  to  another,  may  afford  such  a  blending  of  influences 
that  the  sensitive  will  be  unable  to  feci  clearly  each  distinct 
individuality. 

What  a  safeguard  it  would  be  to  children  as  they  grew 
in  years,  and  came  into  contact  with  the  world,  if  their 
psychometrical  powers  had  been  carefully  trained,  and 
they  were  able  to  detect  the  motives  (in  part,  if  not  in 
full)  of  their  companions  and  business  associates.  Parents 
are  generally  desirious  that  their  children  should  have 
good  and  suitable  companions,  and  many  mothers  especial¬ 
ly  have  an  instictive  feeling  as  to  the  advisability  of  foster¬ 
ing  or  repressing  childinsh  friendships;  but  how  much  bet¬ 
ter  it  would  be  if  both  parents  and  children  were  able  to 
sense  clearly  the  real  nature  and  degree  of  morality  of 
those  with  whom  they  were  brought  into  contact. 

CONDITIONS  FOR  THE  SITTER. 

The  person  who  sits  for  the  psychometrist  to  give  him 
a  ‘reading’  should  not  be  antagonistic  nor  frivolous,  nei¬ 
ther  should  he  desire  special  information,  nor  concentrate 
his  thought  forces  upon  any  given  point,  otherwise  he  may 
dominate  the  sensitive,  and  by  ‘suggestion’  mislead  him, 
or  only  receive  a  reflex  of  his  own  hopes  or  fears.  He  will 
do  well  to  perserve  an  open  mind,  and  an  impartial  but 
sympathetic  attitude,  and  await  results.  It  is  unwise  to 
interrupt,  explain,  or  question  during  the  time  that  a  de¬ 
lineation  is  being  given,  for  by  so  doing  the  psychic  sphere 
is  disturbed  and  the  thought  projections  act  like  the  breezes 
upon  the  surface  of  a  lake,  producing  confused  and  d is- 


262 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


torted  appearances.  It  is  best  to  allow  the  description  to 
be  given  in  its  entirety  before  asking  questions  regarding 
any  of  its  details;  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  very  points 
upon  which  inquiries  seem  necessary  will  be  more  fully 
elucidated  before  the  close.  If  a  special  ‘reading,’  and 
not  a  general  one,  is  required — say,  for  diagnosis  of  dis¬ 
ease  conditions — a  hint  of  what  is  desired  at  the  outset 
should  be  sufficient. 

CLAIRVOYANCE. 

The  power  of  visualizing  is  one  of  the  most  striking 
evidences  of  man's  psychical  nature  and  possibilities.  It 
is  the  creative  faculty,  by  means  of  which  we  think  things 
into  existence.  It  is  a  distinctly  spiritual  capacity  allied 
to  intuition — or  cognition ;  it  is  a  species  of  inner  vision — 
introvision — and  is  the  power  of  the  soul  that  is  employed 
in  clairvoyance.  Bv  its  aid  we  can  call  up  before  the 
mind’s  eye  that  winch  has  as  yet  no  external  existence,  and 
image  forth  ideas  and  designs  born  in  the  consciousness — 
or  borne  upon  and  into  the  consciousness  from  the  spiritual 
side.  Clairvoyance  is  in  reality,  for  the  most  part,  spir¬ 
itual  perception — feeling.  Mrs.  Denton  speaks  of  the  light 
by  which  she  was  able  to  see  psychometrically  as  'latent 
light.’  The  same  thing  is  probably  meant  by  the  Theoso- 
phists  when  they  speak  of  ‘astral  light,’  and  by  others  who 
designate  it  ‘etheric  light,’  but  by  giving  it  a  name  we  do 
not  analyze  or  define  it.  ’William  Denton  claimed  that 
rays  of  light  continually  emanate  from  all  objects,  readily 
pass  through  most,  if  not  all,  substances,  and  proceed  at 
once  to  the  "bra  in  of  sensitives  and  give  the  sensation  of 
vision  without  "the"  intervention  of  the  eye.  This  refined 
light!  he  says,  ‘passes  at  once  through  the  portals  and  is 
admitted  into  the  inner  chamber  of  the  soul.’  Mrs.  Den¬ 
ton  says: — 

‘"While  ordinary  vision  requires  light,  either  direct  or 
reflected  from  some  luminous  body,  to  enable  it  to  dis¬ 
tinguish  objects  within  its  range,  the  other  (the  inner 
sight)  hrids  a  pebble  no  larger  than  a  common  pea  suffi¬ 
cient  to  light  up  a  world,  while  we  read  the  myriad  pages 
of  its  thrilling  history.  .  .  .  In  some  instances  the  impres- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


263 


sion  appears  to  be  made  directly  upon  the  brain,  and  when 
the  individual  (psychometrist)  has  learned  to  discriminate 
between  these  direct  impressions  and  the  creations  of  fancy, 
ofthe  workings  of  imaginations,  they  may  be  considered 
equally  reliable  with  true  vision.’ 

According  to  Mrs.  Denton,  then,  it  would  appear  that 
clairvoyant  perceptions  can  be  experienced  by  different 
processes — by  sight  and  by  impression.  The  extended 
vision  enjoyed  by  some  seers  has  been  likened  to  a  ‘telescope 
eye,’  and  seems  to  point  to  a  power  of  perception  by  sym¬ 
pathetic  relationship,  as  is  the  case  in  thought-transference. 
In  other  instances  experience  points  to  ‘traveling’  clair¬ 
voyance,  in  which  the  percipient  psychically  visits  the  dis¬ 
tant  place  and  describes  what  is  witnessed.  As  the  clair¬ 
voyant  sees  with  spiritual  vision,  physical  matter  offers  no 
obstruction.  It  is,  in  other  words,  perfectly  transparent 
to  spiritual  light.  Space  is  not  a  factor  in  this  form  of 
perception,  in  which  nearness  or  distance  depend  upon 
spiritual  conditions. 

THE  BRAIN  ASLEEP,  BUT  THE  SPIRIT  ACTIVE. 

William  Denton  regarded  the  .spirit  as  the  agent,  and 
not  the  brain,  in  the  phenomena  associated  with  clairvoy¬ 
ance  when  the  seer  was  in  the  mesmeric  sleep,  and  quoted 
Dr.  Hammond  to  the  effect  that:  ‘During  sleep  the  brain 
is  in  a  comparatively  bloodless  condition,  and  the  blood  in 
the  encephalic  vessels  is  not  only  diminished  in  quantity, 
but  moves  with  diminished  rapidity.’ 

‘If  the  brain,’  argued  Denton,  ‘is  the  agent  concerned 
in  clairvoyant  and  clairaudient  phenomena,  its  power 
being  very  much  reduced  by  sleep,  we  should  naturally 
expect  that  sleep  would  decrease  or  destroy  its  ability  in 
this  direction;  but  the  very  opposite  seems  to  be  the  case; 
for  many  who  possess  no  clairvoyant  power  in  the  waking 
condition  have,  in  sleep,  a  remarkable  development  of  it,’ 
and  he  cited  instances  which  seem  to  prove  ‘that  the  brain, 
which,  as  is  now  well  known,  is  contracted  in  sleep,  and 
therefore  less  fitted  for  obtaining  ideas,  cannot  be  the  agent 
in  clairvoyance,  but  it  must  be  the  all-seeing  spirit.  Mes¬ 
merism  induces,  generally,  a  state  of  still  deeper  sleep  than 


264 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


the  ordinary,  and  therefore  less  fitted  for  the  action  of  the 
brain ;  and  yet  in  just  that  proportion  does  it  seem  to  be 
favorable  for  the  exercise  of  clairvoyance  and  its  accom¬ 
panying  phenomena  ;  and  when  the  deepest  sleep  is  secured 
bv  magnetism,  and  the  eye  is  no  longer  sensitive  to  light, 
the  ear  to  sound,  and  the  skin  to  touch,  it  is  then  that  these 
peculiar  powers  are  most  frequently  and  clearly  mani¬ 
fested,  as  nearly  all  writers  on  mesmerism  testify.  .  .  In 
death-trance,  when  even  the  circulation  is  stopped,  and 
respiration  can  no  longer  be  perceived  :  when  the  pallor 
of  death  overspreads  the  countenance,  and  death  itself  is 
so  well  counterfeited  that  it  is  hardly  possible  to  dis¬ 
tinguish  the  one  from  the  other,  the  spirit  asserts  its  su¬ 
periority  and  independence ;  it  hears,  sees,  feels,  and  ob¬ 
tains  knowledge  that,  out  of  this  trance-state,  the  indi¬ 
vidual  is  unable  to  obtain.’  This  is  ‘just  what  we  should 
expect  if  the  spirit  is  to  survive  death ;  but  it  is  altogether 
inexplicable  if  death  is  to  extinguish  us.’ 

EXPLANATORY  THEORIES. 

Endeavoring  to  explain  how  clairvoyance  is  effected, 
Mr.  Leadbeater  argues  that  it  is  possible  to  see  by  means 
of  what  he  calls  an  astral  current,  or  rather,  to  polarize 
the  astral  particles  by  emitting,  by  the  exercise  of  the  will, 
a  kind  of  electric  flash  so  as  to  construct  a  sort  of  psychic 
wire  or  astral  telescope  that  one  can  look  along,  and  from 
his  own  end  discern  the  objects  in  Tniniature ;  or  by  the 
projection  of  a  thought-form  or  an  astral  image  of  oneself 
into  the  presence  of  the  person  who  is  thought  of.  Or¬ 
dinary  thought  is,  as  a  stone  thrown  from  the  hand,  cut  off 
from  the  thrower ;  but  in  this  case  the  connection  is  main¬ 
tained,  and  the  thought-form  is  used  to  see  with,  and  the 
seer  is  thus  enabled  to  see  at  the  other  end  of  the  line,  and 
the  figures  would  be  life-size.  The  clairvoyant  in  some  in¬ 
stances  sees  by  means  of  the  astral  body  itself.  In  these 
cases  the  seer  actually  goes  to  the  place  or  the  person,  and  on 
his  return  describes  what  he  has  observed ;  but  he  would  be 
In  an  unconscious  state  while  he  was  thus  active  on  the 
inner  plane.  As  a  rule  some  kind  of  line  is  required;  the 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


265 


seer  must  know  where,  or  to  whom,  to  direct  his  telescope, 
but  in  this  latter  class  of  vision  he  could  go  and  find  a 
place  or  person  that  he  had  never  seen  or  visited. 

‘Some  people  begin  by  a  plunge,  as  it  were,  and  under 
some'  unusual  stimulus,  become  able,  just  for  once,  to  see 
some  striking  vision ;  and  very  often  in  such  a  case,  because 
the  experience  does  not  repeat  itself,  the  seer  comes  in  time 
to  believe  that  on  that  occasion  he  must  have  been  the  victim 
of  hallucination.  Others  begin  by  becoming  intermittently 
conscious  of  the  brilliant  colors  and  vibrations  of  the  hu¬ 
man  aura ;  and  yet  others  find  themselves  with  increasing 
frequency  seeing  and  hearing  something  to  which  those 
around  them  are  blind  and  deaf;  others,  again,  see  faces, 
landscapes,  or  colored  clouds  floating  before  their  eyes  in 
the  dark  before  they  sink  to  rest;  while,  perhaps,  the  com¬ 
monest  experience  of  all  is  that  of  those  who  begin  to  rec¬ 
ollect  with  greater  and  greater  clearness  what  they  have 
seen  and  heard  on  the  other  planes  during  sleep.’  In  ref¬ 
erence  to  crystal-gazing,  he  says:  ‘It  does  not  seem  to  mat¬ 
ter  much  what  is  used  as  a  focus,  except  that  pure  crystal 
has  an  undoubted  advantage  over  other  substances,  in  that 
its  peculiar  arrangement  of  elementary  essence  renders  it 
specially  stimulating  to  the  psychic  faculties.  * 

SPECULATIONS  OF  nITTLE  AVAIL. 

We  are  inclined  to  agree  with  an  American  writer  who 
said : — 

‘As  yet,  we  can  only  speculate  as  to  clairvoyance.  Once, 
before  I  could  see  anything  clairvoyantly,  I  was  required  to 
shut  my  eyes.  Now  I  see  fully  as  well  but  much  less  often 
with  my  eyes  wide  open,  and  it  appears  to  me  that  all  my 
visions  are  optical.  A  few  years  ago  I  had  a  theory,  but  a 
couple  of  mediums  spoiled  it  for  me  very  suddenly  one 
day.  I  was  explaining  discerning  of  spirits  as  spirit  sight 
which  was  thrown  upon  the  perceptive  faculties  and  thence 
vibrated  through  the  brain,  till  the  clairvoyant  becomes 
conscious  of  it.  Rut  a  medium  told  me  then  and  there  that 
all  her  observations  were  from  the  solar  plexus,  and  an 

*  ‘Clairvoyance.’  By  C.  W.  Leadbeater. 


266 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


other  medium  informed  me  that  she  saw  spirits  also  from 
the  solar  plexus.  Because  the  hypothesis  is  novel  is  no  rea¬ 
son  for  condemning  it.’ 

Clairvoyants,  mesmeric,  normal,  and  mediuinistic,  have 
variously  declared  that  they  saw,  *or  seemed  to  do  so, 
through  the  top  of  the  head,  at  the  finger  tips,  at  the  pit 
of  the  stomach,  through  the  forehead,  at  the  back  of  the 
head,  with  the  ordinary  eyes,  or  with  an  interior  sight ;  and 
who  can  say  them  nay? 

CLAIRVOYANCE  ON  DIFFERENT  PLANES. 

There  seems  to  be  a  diversity  of  modes  of  consciousness 
of  these  perceptual  impressions  or  sensations — different 
planes  of  clairvoyance.  Some  seem  to  see  with  the  mind’s 
eye,  to  visualize,  others  to  become  conscious  of  the  opening 
of  their  inner  vision,  and  Dr.  Andrew  Jackson  Davis  says: 

‘In  consequence  of  the  departure  of  the  element  of 
sensation  from  the  surface  of  the  body,  the  latter  is  left  in 
a  death-like,  senseless,  profound  slumber,  and  in  propor¬ 
tion  as  the  body  is  darkened  the  mind  is  enlivened.  When 
the  forehead  is  illuminated  it  is  perfectly  transparent.  It 
appears  like  a  window  from  which  the  soul  looks  out  upon 
the  fields  of  creation.  All  the  upper  portions  of  the  face, 
including  the  bodily  eyes,  are  also  illuminated.  Good 
clairvoyants,  however,  are  generally  not  illuminated  in  the 
highest  regions  of  the  brain,  but  only  in  the  base  of  the 
cerebrum,  extending  from  the  centre  of  the  forehead  to 
either  side  and  downward  to  the  top  of  the  cheek  bones. 
This  is  the  source  or  locality  of  the  mental  perceptions. 
Clairvoyance  implies  the  clear  perception  of  things  beyond 
the  powers  of  the  bodily  vision,  but  it  does  not  imply  un¬ 
derstanding  all  the  things  observed.  The  organs  of  per¬ 
ception  are  particularly  excited  by  the  flow  of  the  sensa¬ 
tional  medium  into  them.  The  vision  extends  in  straight 
lines  when  distance  is  subjected  to  contemplation,  and  yet 
as  with  the  bodily  eyes,  the  interior  perceptions  harmonize 
very  readily  with  the  rays  of  light  and  electricity,  which 
play  abroad  in  nature,  so  that  the  vision  usually  compre¬ 
hends  fully  half  of  a  very  large  disc.’ 


i 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


267 


MAGNETIC  HEALING 

Healing  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  is  an  ancient  method 
of  restoring  the  sick,  and  differs  from  hypnotism  in  that 
the  patient  is  not  put  to  sleep;  and  from  mesmerism  in 
that  no  will-power  or  gazing  are  needed ;  and  from  mas¬ 
sage  m  that  no  rubbing  or  kneading  is  employed. 

Many  students  of  spiritual  therapeutics  believe  that 
there  is  a  universal  force,  ether,  life  principle,  or  aura 
which  pervades  all  things,  and  that  when  the  healer  can 
relate'  himself  consciously  to  this  power  and  vibrate  in 
unison  with  it,  he  feels  it  flow  through  him  to  others  as 
an  energy  which  establishes  in  them  new  conditions  of 
health.  Whether  any  fluid  ‘virtue’  or  force — magnetic  or 
vital — passes  from  the  healer  to  his  patient,  or  whether  it 
is  only  a  wave  or  vibratory  motion  that  is  set  up  and  com¬ 
municated  from  one  to  the  other,  is  a  matter  which  is  yet 
in  dispute.  Many  people  attribute  the  results  to  ‘sug¬ 
gestion’  on  tli'e  part  of  the  operator,  and  expectancy,  or 
faith,  on  the  part  of  the  subject:  but,  as  a  writer  has  ex¬ 
pressed  it :  ‘  If  suggestion  can  produce  an  effect  it  is  as 

much  a  positive  force  as  electricity,  and  passes  from  one 
teiuninal  to  another,’ 

We  have  experienced  extreme  exhaustion  after  treating 
the  sick,  and  have  felt  thoroughly  ‘used  up,’  while  the 
sufferer  has  been  conscious  of  a  great  increase  of  his  vital 
force;  and  if  the  testimony  of  clairvoyants  counts  for  any¬ 
thing,  there  ore  auric  emanations  which  pass  from  the 
healer  and  are  absorbed  by  the  patient.  Upon  this  point 
the  following  selection  from  the  teachings  given  to  ‘M.  A. 
(Oxon)  ’  by  his  spirit  instructors,  and  published  in  ‘Light,’ 
will  be  interesting:  ‘In  the  mesmeric  passes  is  a  force  con¬ 
vened  from  the  operator  to  the  patient ,  or  not?'  Answer: 
‘Assuredly.  A  stream  of  vital  force  is  conveyed:  as  you 
may  prove  by  the  fact  that  a  rapport  is  established  be¬ 
tween  the  two,  so  that  the  operator  will  frequently  carry 
away  the  ailment  which  he  cures,  only  in  a  milder  form. 
Xml  Jfie  will  surely  convey  to  the  patient  any  pain  under 
which  he  chances  to  be  suffering.  Hence  care  should  be 
taken  that  only  healthy  operators  should  be  allowed.’ 


268 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


We  have  seen  magnetic  healers,  who  before  visiting 
their  patients  were  full  of  buoyant  strength  and  spirits, 
return  from  a  treatment  that  was  unduly  prolonged  looking 
haggard  and  ill  and  thoroughly  exhausted.  They  had  cer¬ 
tainly,  in  some  way,  parted  with  considerable  vitality  and 
were  fit  only  to  sleep  and  thus  recoup  and  replenish  their 
stock  of  energy.  Herr  Reichel  states  that  recent  investi¬ 
gations  on  the  part  of  leading  Continental  students  on  this 
subject  have  experimentally  proved  that  the  magnetic 
radiations  of  mankind  have  an  objective  appearance,  and 
he  further  contends  that  ‘suggestion’  can  only  be  effective 
‘when  the  receiver’s  brain  has  a  quantity  of  vital  power 
at  its  disposal  which  can  be  guided  by  the  suggestion  to 
the  seat  of  disease.’  Dr.  von  Stuckrad  says,  and  his  testi¬ 
mony  upon  this  point  is  borne  out  bv  many  others:  ‘I  am 
convinced  that  by  direct  contact  of  the  magnetizer’s  hands 
on  the  patient  a  stimulating  and  agreeable  influence  is  felt 
which  can  be  compared  to  a  strong  stream  on  the  nervous 
system.  T  experience  a.  feeling  of  increased  warmth  under 
the  palms  of  the  hands,  which  then  quickly  spreads  on  all 
sides  if  the  hands  are  applied  to  the  back  by  the  spinal 
column  or  on  the  pit  of  the  stomach.  ’  * 

Some  people  are  natural  centres  of  magnetic  power. 
They  generate  an  abundance  of  vital  energy,  and  can  af¬ 
ford  to  dispense  their  ‘virtue’  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
are  sick  without  injury — nay,  with  positive  benefit  to  them¬ 
selves — provided  that  excessive  demands  are  not  made 
upon  their  forces.  No  one  should  attempt  to  heal  another 
when  exhausted  and  weary,  nor  when  sad  and  depressed. 
Given  an  operator  whose  heart  is  in  his  work ;  who  believes 
in  the  influence  of  mind  over  mind,  mind  over  body;  who 
is,  himself,  vitally  vigorous  and  healthy  in  constitution ; 
who  puts  all  his  benevolent  energies  out  for  the  purpose 
of  cure;  and  given  a  subject  who  needs  treatment  and  pos¬ 
sesses  those  elements  of  fitness  or  receptivity  necessary  to 
success,  there  seems  to  be  no  limit  to  the  useful  possibilities 
and  beneficial  applications  of  the  healing  art. 


*  ‘Light.’ 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


269 


The  healer  is  positive  to  his  patient,  and  by  simply  ap¬ 
plying  his  hands  to  the  nerve  centres  of  the  sufferer’s  body, 
or  by  making  local,  or  full  length,  ‘passes’  as  he  may  feel 
is  necessary,  or  be  ‘impressed’  to  clo,  lie  imparts  to  him 
some  of  his  own  psychic  force,  or  the  vitalizing  principle 
oFlife,  which  tends  to  cleanse,  stimulate,  and  strengthen 
"the  sufferer.  It  is  confidently  asserted  by  experienced 
practitioners  that  they  do  really  ‘give  off’  vital  power, 
which  is  felt  by  the  recipient  as  a  stimulating  influence 
that  operates  like  a  tonic  upon  the  nervous  system. 

The  true  healer  must  be  unselfish,  sympathetic,  and 
benevolent.  He  may  have  to  ‘minister  to  a  mind  diseased’ 
before  he  can  heal  the  bodily  infirmities.  He  will  need  to 
be  tactful,  delicate,  yet  firm,  and  devoted  with  loving  en¬ 
thusiasm  to  his  work,  so  that  by  the  contagion  of  his  exam¬ 
ple  as  well  as  his  influence  he  may  be  a  tower  of  strength 
to  those  who  seek  his  aid.  He  can  calm  the  sufferer;  allay 
his  fears;  stimulate  his  faith ;  suggest  thoughts  of  strength, 
and  thus  arouse  hope,  expectancy,  response,  and  set  his 
self-curative  forces  at  work  to  restore  him  to  normal  health 
and  cheer. 

In  spiritual  healing,  according  to  Horatio  Dresser,  there 
is  no  reasoning,  no  attempt  to  transfer  definite  thoughts, 
andjro  effort  to  conjrol  or  hypnotize  the  mind  of  the  pa¬ 
tient.  Tt  is  rather  the  healer’s  place  to  bring  a  gentle, 
soothing  atmosphere  about  the  patient,  from  which  the 
latter  shall  absorb  according  to  his  need  and  receptivity. 
The  spiritual  healer  is  not  himself  the  all-powerful  mind 
or  factor,  he  is  the.  willing  instrument  of  the  higher  Power. 
His  desire  is  to  become  spiritually  open  arid  free:  then  to 
induce  the  same  state,  in  the  patient.  The  first  step  is  to 
direct  the  consciousness  towards  the  Omnipresent  Spirit, 
to  become  peaceful,  quiet,  poised,  master  of  the  situation. 
When  one  is  thus  open  and  free,  one  may  turn  to  the  suf¬ 
ferer,  and  in  the  same  gentle,  yet  strong  and  stimulating 
spirit,  envelope  him  with  an  atmosphere  so  powerful  that 
no  inharmonious  condition  of  mind  or  body  can  long  with¬ 
stand  it.  The  heale;  is  like  the  person  with  good  sight  who 
offers  kindly  assistance  to  the  blind  man.  One  should  not 
dwell  on  symptoms  and  doubts,  but  see  the  outcome,  think 


270 


A  Guide  to  Mediums! np 


of  the  patient  as  lie  ought  to  he,  in  good  health,  poised, 
calm,  and  strong. 

There  is  great  need  of  healers  who  understand  the 
nature  of  the  laws  of  spirit  associaton  and  the  character 
of  the  influences  that  the  ‘dweller  on  the  threshold’  throws 
upon  those  who  are  susceptible  to  his  thought-power. 
Many  persons,  by  their  strong  desires,  their  passional  or 
affectional  longings,  unknowingly  attract,  or  offer  favor¬ 
able  conditions  to,  spirits  of  this  class  (not  necessarily  evil 
but  ignorant,  and  living  on  the  plane  of  desire  and  self), 
who  attach  themselves  to  them,  to  their  hurt;  and  there  is 
a  wide  field  of  usefulness  here  for  healers  who  can  set  these 
sufferers  free,  and  not  only  ‘preach  to’  but  teach  these 
spirits  in  prison,’  so  that  they  will  no  longer  remain  in 
darkness,  but  set  out  upon  their  pilgrimage  to  higher  spir¬ 
itual  states. 


A  Guide  to  Medium  hip 


an 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PRACTICAL  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  PSYCHICAL  UNFOLDMENT. 

By  many  routes,  we  are  now  arriving  at  the  conclusion 
that  the  inner  self  has  powers  which  can,  at  times,  far 
transcend  the  outer  self,  and  even  master  it,  as  the  merest 
instrument.  The  outer  self  may,  at  times,  be  utterly 
beaten  and  useless,  but  the  inner  self  may  console,  and 
wing  its  glorious  way  and  sing. — ‘Light.’ 

Bv  persistent  experiment  and  the  frank  expression  of 
the  thoughts,  feelings,  sights,  or  impulses  that  he  experi¬ 
ences,  the  seeker  after  clairvoyance  or  psyehometry  will 
gradually  become  sensitive,  lucid,  and  eventually  be  clearly 
able  to  distinguish  between  what  are  purely  unrestrained 
works  of  imagination  (or  fictions)  and  the  impressions  and 
’perceptions  which  have  spiritual  warrant  and  a  basis  of 
Tact.— B.  G.  E. - - 

A  variety  of  ‘directions’  for  the  cultivation  of  psychical 
perception  have  been  published,  but  unless  you  possess  the 
natural  organic,  temperamental  sensitiveness  you  are  not 
likely  to  realize  satisfactory  results  without  prolonged 
effort.  True,  the  power  may  lie  dormant  m  your  nature; 
ft  may  have  been  neglected,  misunderstood,  and  crushed, 
and  in  such  a  case  vour  latent  ‘gifts’  will  soon  become 
active  if  you  persist  in  your  endeavors  to  understand  and 
use  them,  but  unless  you  are  prepared  to  seriously  and 
steadily  devote  yourself  to  the  task  of  your  own  education 
on  these  lines,  do  not  waste  your  time  or  strength  in  dab¬ 
bling  with  the  subject. 

,  Spiritualists  have  not  yet  realized  their  duty  in  the 
matter  of  providing  training  schools  and  teachers  for  th« 


27-  A  Guide  io  M  e  chums  kip 

development  of  sensitives,  consequently  it  devolves  upon 
each  one  to  endeavor  to  train  himself. 

THOUGHT  TRANSFERENCE. 

As  a  rule,  thoughts  can  only  be  transferred  from  one 
person  To  another  as  a  result  of  the  exercise  of  will  by  the 
operator,  and  if  yo\i  can  obtain  the  assistance  of  a  few 
Triends  to  try  what  is  called  the  ‘willing  game,’  you  may 
soon  ascertain  if  you  are  responsive  to  their  thoughts  and 
telepathically  conscious  of  their  wishes ;  or  whether  you  are 
sufficiently  positive  to  transfer  your  own  thoughts  to  some¬ 
one  else. 

One  of  the  party,  having  been  chosen  to  act  as  the  ‘sub¬ 
ject,’  should  be  requested  to  retire  from  the  room,  and  dur¬ 
ing  his  absence  an  article  should  be  selected  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  this  experiment. 

The  subject  having  been  recalled,  one  member  of  the 
company,  acting  as  spokesman,  should  say:  A  certain  ar¬ 
ticle  in  this  room  has  been  fixed  upon,  and  we  are  all  think¬ 
ing  of  it,  and  ‘willing’  you  to  touch  it.  We  want  you  to 
render  your  mind  passive;  to  follow  whatever  impulse  you 
experience,  and  touch  the  first  article  upon  which  you  feel 
impelled  to  place  your  hand. 

This  experiment  may  be  varied  in  a  number  of  ways. 
For  instance,  the  subject  may  be  willed  to  touch  one  of  the 
sitters ;  to  take  something  to  a  certain  person ;  to  discover 
„a  hidden  article,  etc. 

Each  one  should  concentrate  his  thoughts  upon  the  sub¬ 
ject,  willing  him  to  proceed  to,  and  touch,  the  article  se¬ 
lected  for  that  purpose.  __ 

The  sillers  should  not  look  at  the  article,  although  they 
may  at  the  ‘subject,’  but  should  not  touch  him  or  make  any 
sign  or  movement  that  would  in  any  wav  give  him  a  clue. 

"The  ‘subject’  will  find  it  best  to  stand  still  (and,  if  he 
prefers  to  do  so,  close  his  eyes),  until  some  inclination, 
‘drawing.’  or  prompting  impels  him  to  move.  Some  peo¬ 
ple  readily  respond  and  are  successful  at  once.  Others  are 
rather  too  self-conscious  and  nervous  at  first,  but  succeed 
when  those  feelings  wear  off.  Others  expect  too  definite 


A  Guide  to  Mediimship 


273 


and  decided  an  impression,  and  do  not  obey  the  first  im¬ 
pulse,  lest  it  should  be  their  own  mind  operating,  and  in 
that  way  they  become  confused,  and  fail. 

"By  tins  simple  means  it  is  possible  to  find  out  those  who 
are  impressionable,  and  then  more  systematic  experiments 
can  be  made  with  a  smaller  number  of  sitters,  say  three, 
who  may  act  as  operator,  subject,  and  note-taker  alter¬ 
nately  (or  as  agent,  percipient,  and  recorder),  until  they 
ascertain,  as  the  result  of  the  experiments,  which  of  the 
three  is  the  most  susceptible  and  which  is  the  most  positive. 

The  agent  needs  to  possess  the  power  of  visualizing  and 
concentration.  Thinking  of  a  definite  number,  figure, 
name,  or  color,  he  must  picture  it  in  his  mind  as  though  he 
could  see  it.  and  then  try  to  project  the  picture  that  he 
Iras  thus  imagined  to  the  pereipitent,and  enabled  him  to  see 
it  also.  This  is  by  no  means  an  easy  operation.  It  re¬ 
quires  steady  thougth,  concentrated  purpose,  and  the  ex¬ 
penditure  of  considerable  psychical  energy. 

It  is  unwise  to  fidget  and  strain  and  insist,  and  make 
repeated  mental  affirmations;  such  methods  tend  to  destroy 
the  placidity  which  is  so  essential  to  success.  A  steady, 
concentrated,  and  expectant  frame  of  mind  should"  be  main¬ 
tained,  as  a  more  definite  mental  picture  and  a  more  con¬ 
tinuous  mind  wave  can  thus  be  produced  than  by  spas¬ 
modic,  vehement  willing. 

Should  the  mind  of  either  the  agent  or  the  percipient 
be  taken  up  by  an  intense  desire  to  succeed,  the  experiment 
is  likely  to  result  in  failure,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the, 
mind  is  so  pro-occupied  with  the  desire  that  it  is  unable  to 
convey  or  receive  the  impression. 

SELF-PREPARATION  BY  ABSTRACTION. 

To  enable  you  to  see,  hear,  and  feel  on  the  psychical 
side  of  your  nature,  it  is  necessary  that  you  should  un- 
"clerstand  how  to  abstract  yourself  from  your  surroundings 
and  shut  yourselToff  from  the  sensuous  consciousness,  and 
close  yourself  against  the  reports  of  the  external  senses. 
You  will  need  to  banish  hurry,  worry,  and  care,  and  cease 
to  be  mentallv  active.  Just  as  the  sincere  worshipper  as- 


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A  Guide  to  MediumsMp 


sum.es  a  revential  attitude  and  gives  the  conditions  for  spir¬ 
itual  communion  and  exaltation,  so  you  will  need  to  retire 
into  your  spiritual  self  and  ‘wait  upon  the  Lord’  with  calm 
confidence  and  aspiration,  and  then  you  will  by-and-by  ex¬ 
perience  the  opening  up  of  your  inner  consciousness  and 
intuitively  cognize  soul  states,  become  interiorily  aware 
of,  or  psychometrically  feel,  impressions  and  intluences, 
and  clairvoyantly  perceive  spiritual  auras  or  personages. 
By  thus  inhibiting  all  sense  impressions,  you  will  exper¬ 
ience  the  peace  on  the  outer  plane  which  precedes  the  in¬ 
tense  activity  of  the  psychical  self  in  the  ‘superior  condi¬ 
tion.’  The  mesmerist  induces  this  outward  quietude  in 
his  subject,  and  suspends  the  ordinary  operations  of  the 
senses,  before  he  awakens  his  powers  of  receptivity  and 
response  on  the  inner  side  of  his  being.  The  spirit  oper¬ 
ator  does  the  same  thing  with  his  medium  before  he  can 
appeal  to  his  soul’s  powers  and  induce  clairvoyance  or  in¬ 
spire  him  with  new  and  wise  thoughts.  What  others  can 
enable  you  to  do  you  may  learn  to  accomplish  for  yourself, 
even  though  fasting  and  prayer,  temporarily  retirement 
and  meditation,  may  be  necessary.  You  may  thus  be  able 
fo  penetrate  to  the  spiritual  realm  and  ‘discern’  spiritual 
states,  conditions,  and  personages,  and  rejoice  in  the  ob¬ 
servation  and  interpretation  of  the  realities  of  the  ‘other 
side’  of  this  wonderful  universe,  aye,  even  to  the  exercise 
of  the  power  to  travel  ‘in  the  spirit’  and  clairvoyantly 
cognize  the  glories  of  that  land  where  dwells  the  soul 
serene. 

CONDITIONS  TO  BE  OBSERVED. 

It  is  advisable  to  set  aside  half  an  hour  a  day,  and  take 
precautions  to  prevent  any  interruption. 

Sit  facing  the  south  in  semi-darkened  room,  between 
10  and  11  a.  m.  if  convenient,  or  about  7  or  8  p.  m.  Be 
punctual.  Sit  regularly.  Think  of  the  object  In  view, 
viz.,  your  desire  to  cultivate  receptivity  to  impressions, 
responsiveness  to  thought  influences  or  psychic  emanations, 
and  clairvoyant  perceptions.  A  shaded  light,  or  a  very 
low  one,  will  minimize  your  consciousness  of  light-vibra¬ 
tions  and  reduce  the  tendency  to  use  your  eyes,  and  it  is 


A  Guide  to  Mediumshlp 


275 


advisable  sometimes  to  close  them.  Your  garments  should 
Ee  so  arranged  as  to  afford  unimpeded  circulation  and 
respiration,  and  give  frqe  play  to  the  muscles  of  the"  chest 
gnd  abdomen. 

Your  chair  should  be  comfortable,  so  that  you  can  sit 
with  your  feet  resting  on  the  floor  and  your  body  erect 
and  easy;  that  your  mind  may  not  be  aroused  by  recogniz¬ 
ing  and  overcoming  discomfort. 

Devote  your  whole  attention  to  the  subject  in  hand.  If 
you  are  anxious,  worried,  or  preoccupied  about  other  mat¬ 
ters  it  will  be  necessary  to  try  to  withdraw  your  thoughts 
from  external  things  into  the  inner  realm  of  your  con¬ 
sciousness;  to  banish  every  resentful,  disturbing,  or  un¬ 
charitable  thought,  and  feel  kindly  and  lovingly  towards 
everyone.  You  will  find  that  you  cannot  at  once  become 
quiescent,  and  must  therefore  be  patient,  for  it  is  not  easy 
to  dismiss  a  thought  at  will.  Change  the  thought  currents 
by  substituting  a  new  subject  for  contemplation,  and  lead 
the  mind  by  successive  stages  to  a  condition  of  pleasurable 
anticipation.  Endeavor  to  attain,  and  maintain,  a  calm 
and  serene  condition  of  consciousness ;  yet  you  must  be 
alert  to  respond  to  and  interpret  the  vibrations  that  s'tir 
the  soul  atmosphere,  that  you  may  distinguish  the  differ¬ 
ent-  notes,  tones,  voices,  and  echoes. 

You  have  to  learn  to  feel  with  all  the  senses  of  your 
soul ;  to  perceive  the  true  inwardness  of  things  and  people; 
to  see  with  your  inner  vision ;  to  be  ‘absent-minded’  on  the 
outer  plane,  so  that  you  may  thrill  with,  and  respond  to, 
the  visions,  voices,  and  verities  of  the  soul  sphere  into 
which  you  penetrate. 

HOW  TO  CULTIVATE  PSYCHOMETRIC  POWER. 

Articles  belonging  to  other  persons,  specimens  or  cher¬ 
ished  curios  will  be  suitable  for  you  to  experiment  with, 
provided  you  are  unacquainted  with  their  antecedents. 
Sometimes  you  will  feel  as  if  you  are  groping  in  the  dark ; 
the  influence  is  weak  and  you  cannot  sense  it ;  you  are  un¬ 
decided.  vacillating,  and  unable  to  penetrate  the  surround¬ 
ings.  That  may  be  characteristic  of  the  person  with  whom 


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A  Guide  to  Medium-ship 


you  arc  dealing,  therefore  you  should  mention  your  diffi¬ 
culties,  and  you  may  then  get  nearer. 

Repeated  efforts  will  be  necessary  to  enable  you  to  real¬ 
ize  how  far  what  you  think  or  perceive  is  the  result  of 
imagination,  apd  how  far  it  can  be  credited  to  the  activity 
of  the  psychometric  power.  Dcpnot  ask  questions.  Once 
you  are  upon  the  trail,  follow  it.  State  definitely  what 
comes  to  you,  or  what  you  think  comes  to  you.  Do  not 
allow  interruptions  or  questions.  Go  right  through  to  the 
end — then  ask  if  you  are  right.  Never  rrnnd  Tf  you,  are 
wrong,  try  again  and  again,  and  if  you  have  the  power  it 
will  assuredly  grow.  Speak  boldly,  affirmatively.  Reach 
out  mentally,  to  take  hold  of  what  you  want ;  demand  it,  not 
anxiously,  but  confidently. 

When  you  receive  a  letter  from  a  person  whose  charac¬ 
ter  is  unknown  to  you,  remove  the  envelope,  and  without 
reading  the  contents  take  it  in  your  hands  or  place  it  to 
your  forehead,  and  try  to  centre  your  thought  upon  the 
writer,  to  glean  the  purport  of  the  communication  and  the 
spirit  in  which  it  was  written.  If  you  fail  to  receive  any 
thought  or  feeling — any  impulse  or  mental  picture — after 
several  minutes,  put  the  letter  to  your  temple  or  the  back 
of  your  head.  Hold  it  in  your  left  hand  only,  or  the  right 
hand,  or  between  them  both  if  necessary,  until  you  find 
which  position  suits  you  and  enables  you  to  form  the  circuit 
and  ;  switch  on’  to  the  writer. 

You  may  experience  sensations  of  antipathy,  of  pain, 
anxiety,  anger,  or  gloomy  foreboding.  You  may,  on  the 
other  hand,  feel  attracted,  happy,  buoyant,  and  strong. 
Whatever,  your  sensations  arex  mention  them.  They  may 
come  like  a  flash  or  only  piecemeal.  You  may  have  to 
speak  of  one  thing  before  the  next  thought  comes,  or  you 
may  feel  that  you  cannot  express  them  fast  enough  for 
Year  you  should  lose  the  contact  before  you  can  complete 
your  description.  In  all  cases  tell  what  you  can  well  as 
you  are  able,  and  leave  the  results.  If  you  find  that  you 
are  fairly  correct  you  will  feel  encouraged ;  but  if  you  have 
not  succeeded  do  not  be  discouraged — ‘I  can  and  I  will’ 
should  be  your  attitude. 


A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 


277 


It  is  unwise  to  experiment  with  handkerchiefs  (you  do 
nofwTsh  to  delineate  the  laundress),  or  gloves  (because 
of  the  mixed  influences  they  are  almost  certain  to  carry)  ; 
but  if  you  do  try  with  a  glove,  let  it  be  the  left  one,  and 
turn  it  inside  out  while  you  hold  it. 

Rings  or  personal  articles  which  are  in  frequent  use 
are  generally  best  for  individual  ‘readings.’  Do  not  ex- 
~pect  a  very  decided  impulse,  as  though  an  idea  had  been 
forced  into  your  consciousness  from  an  external  source; 
it  may  be  but  a  very  slight  feeling,  or  a  thought  may  ‘come 
into  your  head,’  or  bubble  up,  so  to  speak,  into  your  mind. 
Whatever  it  may  be,  speak  of  it,  and  the  friend  whose 
article  you  hold  will  be  able  to  tell  you  if  it  has  any  sig¬ 
nificance  or  applicability. 

One  curious  feature  of  this  phase  of  perception  is  the 
fact  that  the  psycliometrist  frequently  feels  compelled  to 
use  figures  of  speech  and  to  employ  metaphors  which  are 
intelligible  only  to  his  visitor.  Consequently  you  may  be 
prompted  to  say  things  which  you  cannot  comprehend, 
which,  without  the  key,  seem  meaningless  and  foolish.  Do 
not  let  that  worry  you  or  deter  you  from  being  obedient 
to  your  impression — let  your  client  interpret  what  you  say 
for  himself.  When  you  have  finished  with  one  article  or 
person,  always  blow  off  the  influence,  or  throw  it  off,  from 
your  hands  before  you  proceed  to  the  next.  Dismiss  the 
first  from  your  mind,  close  up  the  connection,  and  then 
you  will  be  ready  for  the  second. 

Another  kind  of  experiment  may  be  made  with  books, 
by  opening  one  at  random  and  laying  the  right  hand  upon 
its  pages,  and  trying  to  get  some  idea,  before  looking  at  it, 
of  the  words  used  or  thoughts  expressed  on  the  page,  or 
pages,  thus  covered.  If  you  can  experiment  with  an  in¬ 
dividual,  take  his  hands  in  yours  and  endeavor  to  pene¬ 
trate  his  ^conditions,  whether  of  mind  or  body,  or  to  per¬ 
ceive  what  he  is  thinking.  Or  you  might  ask  someone  who 
is  sympathetic  to  frame  a  mental  question,  and  try  to  get 
an  answer  thereto.  Take  up  photographs  of  strangers 
when  "you  have  the  opportunity  and  notice  if  any  thought 
comes  to  you  as  to  the  characteristics,  temperament,  health. 


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A  Guide  to  Medium  ship 

business,  or  disposition  of  the  individual,  and  then  make 
inquiries  to  ascertain  if  your  impressions  are  correct. 

After  you  have  made  some  few  experiments,  if  you 
have  had  evidences  that  you  possess  psychometric  power, 
you  might,  as  opportunity  arises,  endeavor  to  ‘sense’  the 
purposes  of  callers,  and  of  your  associates  generally.  Form 
a  question  in  your  mind  clearly  and  quickly,  such  as,  ‘What 
have  you  come  for?’  or,  ‘What  favor  do  you  wish  to  ask?’ 
and  then  take  notice  whether  you  realize  any  thought,  how¬ 
ever  slight,  which  has  any  bearing  upon  their  purpose  or 
business. 

When  professions  of  friendship  are  made,  you  might 
ask.  mentally,  ‘Do  you  mean  it?’  or,  ‘How  much  do  you 
feel  of  what  you  sav?’  It  will  not  be  wise,  however  to  act 
upon  the  thoughts  or  feelings  you  may  experience  in  this 
way,  until  through  repeated  experiments,  you  are  con¬ 
vinced  that  they  are  reliable.  The  difficulty  of  rightly  in¬ 
terpreting  the  feelings;  of  realizing  the  exact  nature  of  the 
influences  that  affect  you;  of  discriminating  between  your 
own  sensations  and  those  which  are  aroused  by  the  condi¬ 
tions  with  which  you  come  into  contact,  is  one  which  can 
only  be  overcome  by  repeated  experiments  and  watchful¬ 
ness,  and  it  will  gradually  disappear  as  you  proceed.  It 
may  be  that  the  realization  of  the  conditions  to  be  described 
will  come  upon  you  suddenly ;  they  will  open  up  from 
within.  Or  it  may  be  that  you  will  ‘take  on’  the  influences 
and  experience  the  sensations  of  your  subject  in  your  own 
person,  so  much  so  that  you  will  feel  as  if  you  are  the  indi¬ 
vidual  with  whom  you  have  become  sympathetically  and 
psychically  related:  his  pains  will  be  felt  by  you;  his 
troubles  will  be  your  troubles;  his  thoughts  and  feelings, 
fears  or  hopes,  will  have  been  transferred  to  you;  and  you 
may  succeed  in  giving  a  diagnosis  of  his  physical,  mental, 
moral,  and  spiritual  conditions  that  will  prove  to  him  that 
you  have  been  ‘reading’  his  soul-states  in  very  truth. 

Many  sensitives  hinder  their  development  by  being 
overanxious.  They  are  so  afraid  c'i  -’aying  anything  that 
piay  be  wrong  that  their  very  fears  disturb  their  psychical 
conditions,  and  either  prevent  all  perception,  or  distort  the 
mental  picture.  We  have  frequently  heard  psychics  say, 


1  Guide  to  Mediumship 


279 


‘I  felt  I  Avanted  to  do — or  say — so-and-so,  but  I  didn’t 
like  to  for  fear  it  slioidd  be  wrong.’  They  have  afterwards 
been  very  mortified  Avhen  they  have  learned  that  Avhat  they 
refused  to  do  or  say  was  the  Arery  thing  that  ought  to  have 
been  given  by  them.  Speak  of  Avhat  you  feel  when  making 
these  experiments:  do  what  you  are  prompted  to  do,  even 
if  it  seems  foolish  or  ridiculous ;  never  mind  if  it  is  not 
quite  correct.  You  did  not  learn  to  walk  without  many  mis¬ 
steps,  and  you  will  not  become  a  succesful  psychometrist 
unless  you  are  prepared  to  ‘draw  a  bow  at  a  venture’ — 
‘to  hazard  a  shot’ — as  it  will  seem  to  you. — aye,  willing  at 
the  outset  to  be  more  often  wrong  than  right. 

Experiments  may  be  made  with  relics,  geological  speci¬ 
mens,  metals,  chemicals,  drugs,  and  medicines,  to  ascertain 
their  effects  for  scientific  purposes  of  investigation,  and 
careful  records  should  be  kept ;  but  Ave  should  not  recom¬ 
mend  you  to  engage  in  proceedings  of  this  kind  merely  out 
of  idle  curiosity.  It  is  generally  difficult  for  a  psychom¬ 
etrist  to  ‘sense’  closed '■  letters  successfully,  as  direct  contact 
seems  to  be  necessary  in  most  cases ;  and  so-called  ‘test’ 
packages  are  difficult  to  deal  with  because  of  the  atmos¬ 
phere  of  doubt  and  mistrust  in  Avhieli  they  are  enveloped 
by  the  sender.  This  may  account  for  instances  where  psy- 
ehometrists  have  been  mislod  by  unspoken  as  Avell  as 
audible  ‘suggestions’  from  their  clients,  and  you  Avill  need 
to  be  on  your  guard  against  this  possibility. 

The  most  practical  and  beneficent  sphere  for  the  exer¬ 
cise  of  the  psychometrical  faculty  is  its  use  for  the  diag¬ 
nosis  of  disease.  Experiments  for  this  kind  of  transfer¬ 
ence  of  sensation  should  be  carefully  conducted,  so  as  not 
to  exhaust  yourself  or  ‘take  on’  the  morbid  conditions  of 
the  sufferer  to  an  injurious  extent. 

Hold  your  patient’s  hand  and  try  to  establish  a  sym¬ 
pathetic  rapport  with  him,  so  that  you  can  sense  or  see  and 
delineate  his  conditions.  Probably  you  will  feel  his  pains 
in  your  own  body,  and  thus  be  able  to  locate  the  seat  of 
the  disease.  Many  psychics  see  the  auric  conditions  of  the 
patients,  and  can  tell  by  the  color  of  their  emanations,  or 
of  the  psychic  counterparts  of  their  organs,  where  they 
suffer  and  what  are  the  causes  of  their  illnesses. 


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A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


Tell  your  visitors  what  you  feel  to  be  the  truth,  but  use 
your  own  discretion.  It  may  be  necessary  to  withhold 
some  things.  Do  not  be  merely  a  prophet  of  evil.  Exert 
your  influence  on  the  side  of  hope,  health,  and  goodness. 
Encourage  the  weak,  the  weary,  and  the  sad.  Admonish 
gently ;  condemn  no  one.  While  you  should  deplore  wrong¬ 
doing,  try  to  prompt  and  help  the  wrong-doers  to  better 
motives,  purer  purposes,  and  nobler  deeds. 

If  you  ‘take  on’  the  aches  and  pains  of  your  subject 
be  careful  to  ‘will’  them  away.  Make  demagnetizing  passes 
over  yourself  and  throw  off  the  influence.  Wash  your 
hands'  and  dry  them  thoroughly,  and  then  practise  deep 
breathing  for  a  minute  or  two  to  regain  a  positive  con¬ 
dition. 

Be  careful  to  avoid  exhausting  your  powers.  If  you 
feel  weary,  or  overstrained  and  excited — stop !  Get  out 
into  the  open  air,  or  change  the  conditions  by  enjoying 
social  conversation,  genial  companionship,  music  and  song. 
Take  a  hot  bath  and  a  smart  rub  down,  hold  the  handles  of 
a  good  battery,  or  turn  your  attention  to  something  else. 
Get  a  good  sleep  if  you  possibly  can. 

Remember  receptivity  may  be  carried  too  far,  and  the 
practice  of  intro-vision  may  render  you  too  negative  and 
too  open  to  intrusive,  dominating  psychic  influences— from 
people  on  this  side  or  the  other;  and  you  must  carefully 
guard  yourself  against  any  ‘suggestions’  that  would  lower 
your  tone,  weaken  your  will,  or  cause  you  to  lose  self- 
control. 

HOW  TO  BECOME  A  CLEAR-SEER. 

The  instructions  that  we  have  already  given  for  the 
cultivation  of  psychometrical  power,  or  susceptibility  to 
the  auric  emanations  of  people,  places,  or  things,  will  in 
the  main  apply  to  and  cover  the  ground  of  the  prepara¬ 
tions  necessary  for  the  development  of  lucidity,  or  clair¬ 
voyant  perception ;  for  many  psychometrists  find  that  they 
literally  see  with  the  mind’s  eye,  by  means  of  the  so-called 
‘astral’  or  etheric  light,  the  scenes  and  persons  that  come 
before  them,  almost  like  cinematographic  ‘living  pictures.’ 
Indeed,  they  frequently  hear  as  well  as  feel,  trace,  and 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


281 


see,  and  the  suggestions  we  have  made  will  apply  to  all 
phases  of  psychical  perception — with  his  proviso,  that  you 
must  try  to  see  if  you  desire  to  be  clairvoyant,  and  to  hear 
if  you  wish  to  be  clairaudient.  In  other  words,  you  must 
pay  attention — yon  must  listen,  look,  and  learn,  and  should 
either  speak  of  or  record  your  experiences. 

It  has  been  frequently  observed  that  clairvoyants  have 
a  ‘far  away  look’  in  their  eyes,  and  that  when  in  the  lucid 
“State  They  appear  as  if  they  were  ‘lost  in  thought.’  It  is 
this  absence  of  self-consciousness  which  is  so  necessary,  and 
yet  so  difficult  to  obtain;  for  anything  which  tends  to  mar 
the  complete  subjugation  of  the  outer  self,  and  bring  the 
psychic  back  to  the  normal  state,  interferes  with  the  con¬ 
ditions  required  for  clairvoyance. 

Some  sensitives  bwathe  very  rapidly  and  become  very 
much  agitated:  they  are  restless,  ‘all  nerves,’  and  get 
‘worked  up’  and  excited  before  they  have  attained  the 
condition  where  the  inner  self  dominates  the  physical 
body  and  the  ordinary  consciousness.  Others  are  quiet 
and  placid,  and  pass  easily  into  the  receptive  state,  and 
require  the  utmost  harmony  and  peace  to  secure  the  best 
results.  You  may  feel  as  if  you  had  a  band  drawn  round 
your  head  or  across  your  forehead,  just  over  the  eyes;  or 
it  may  feel  as  if  it  is  on  fire.  In  any  such  case  you  should 
make  a  few  passes  over  your  brows,  just,  or  barely  touching 
the  skin  with  the  tips  of  your  fingers;  beginning  with  both 
hands  in  the  centre  and  passing  outwards  over  the  temples 
and  ears.  This  will  prove  soothing  and  helpful. 

After  you  have  developed  your  powers  somewhat  you 
will  require  to  have  an  audience  to  whom  you  can  describe 
your  visions — or  for  whom  you  can  exercise  your  gift. 
When  the  condition  of  lucidity  has  been  attained  you  may 
be  able  to  see  pictured  representations  of  the  past  life  of 
persons  with  whom  you  have  established  rapport,  or  of 
.their  future  experiences ;  or  you  may  see  into  the  human 
body  and  be  able  to  describe  the  appearance  of  the  organs 
of  your  visitors  and  give  a  diagnosis  to  those  persons  who 
are  diseased. 

~Tor  your  experiments  fix  upon  a  time  and  keep  it.  Sit 
regularly,  as  by  so  doing  you  set  up  an  automatic  habit 


282 


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which  is  helpful.  Choose  a  place  where  you  will  be  quiet, 
and  a  time  when  you  can  be  undisturbed.  Sit  comfortably 
in  a  dim  light,  but  do  not  let  yourself  fall  asleep.  If  you 
try  ‘crystal  gazing’  look  steadily  at  the  object,  but  do  not 
strain  your  eyes,  nor  gaze  as  if  you  expected  to  pierce  the 
‘veil’  by  sheer  will  power.  Close  and  rest  your  eyes  im¬ 
mediately  you  experience  any  sensation  of  weariness.  J3e 
calm,  hopeful,  persistent,  and  patient.  Tone  down  all 
rapid  or  anxious  vibrations  by  peaceful  and  aspirational 
thoughts.  Intellectual  passivity,  but  psychical  activity, 
are  needed.  You  must  be  outwardly  at  rest,  but  inwardly 
alert  and  receptive,  and  then  you  will  function  through  the 
spirit  body  and  grow  free  on  the  psychical  side  of  your 
nature.  You  may  use  either  a  glass  of  water,  a  mirror, 
a  polished  surface,  or  a  crystal,  and  gaze  at  it  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  attaining  the  power  to  concentrate  your  attention 
and  develop  your  inner  vision — it  will  help  you  to  focalize 
your  psychical  energies  and  to  become  oblivious  to  sur¬ 
roundings  that  would  otherwise  have  a  distracting  effect. 
1  You  may  observe  a  cloudy  or  misty  appearance  in  the  glass 
or  crystal,  apparently,  or  stars,  or  centres  of  brightness 
may  appear  in  a  rolling  mist  that  very  much  resembles 
the  vapor  from  an  engine ;  after  a  time  these  centres  may 
open  out  or  condense,  and  faces  or  bits  of  scenery  may  be 
j  imperfectly  perceived,  and  you  may  congratulate  yourself 
,  that  you  are  well  on  the  way  to  become  a  seer.  If,  after  a 
time,  however,  your  efforts  are  not  rewarded  with  success 
you  might  close  your  eyes  and  mentally  visualize  some 
scene  with  which  you  are  familiar;  then  open  your  eyes 
and  try  to  see  that  scene  in  the  glass  or  crystal. 

Try  to  imgaine  a  scene,  bring  it  vividly  before  your 
mind’s  eye,  work  out  the  details  as  if  you  were  painting 
them  into  a  picture ;  see  the  scene  mentally  with  closed 
eyes,  and  then  endeavor  to  transfer  it  to  your  glass  or  cry¬ 
stal,  and  open  your  eyes  slowly,  expecting  to  see  it  there. 

Experiments  for  the  cultivation  of  this  power  of  vis¬ 
ualizing  can  be  made  in  many  ways.  William  Blake*,  poet, 
and  painter,  used  constantly  to  see  the  conceptions  as  actual 
images  or  visions.  ‘You  have  only,’  he  said,  ‘to  work  up 
imagination  to  the  state  of  vision,  and  the  thing  is  done.’ 


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283 


When  you  are  travelling,  for  instance,  look  at  one  of  your 
companions  closely,  studying  his  general  appearance,  the 
form  and  cast  of  his  features,  color  of  his  eyes  and  hair; 
then  close  your  eyes  and  call  up  his  picture  so  that  you 
can  see  him  mentally,  or  interiorly,  and  re-cognize  his  dis¬ 
tinctive  characteristics.  If  you  are  not  successful,  look 
again,  then  close  your  eyes  once  more,  and  keep  on  trying 
until  the  representation  in  your  mind  stands  out  clearly 
and  distinctly,  almost  as  if  it  is  independent  and  external. 

Before  looking  at  your  watch  when  you  wish  to  know 
the  time,  close  your  eyes  and  try  to  visualize  the  timepiece, 
and  to  clairvoyantly  discern  the  positions  of  the  hands. 
Having  done  this,  and  formed  your  mental  picture,  look  at 
your  watch  to  ascertain  whether  you  have  been  successful. 
This  experiment  can  be  varied  by  asking  someone  to  move 
the  hands  of  a  clock,  or  watch,  without  your  knowledge, 
and  then  you  can  state  what  you  think  is  indicated. 

You  can  experiment  with  a  book  or  paper  by  placing 
your  finger  haphazard  upon  a  word,  and  then  try  to  read 
it  as  though  your  finger  was  not  there. 

Think  of  someone  who  is  absent,  and  whom  you  will 
soon  see ;  then  try  mentally,  or  clairvoyantly,  to  discover 
where  he  is  and  what  he  is  doing.  Do  not  expect  a  very 
definite  vision  at  first,  but  say  whether  you  feel  or  ‘sense’ 
that  the  one  you  think  of  is  in  the  street,  in  a  vehicle  or  a 
house;  make  a  note  of  the  time,  and  ask  your  friend  as 
to  his  Avhereabouts  at  that  hour  when  next  you  see  him. 
This  experiment  may  be  tried  in  another  way;  and  you 
may  succeed  in  perceiving  distant  places  or  people  if  you 
sit  down  where  you  will  not  be  disturbed,  concentrate  your 
interest  and  attention,  and  endeavor  to  project  yourself 
out  of  the  body.  Mentally  get  up,  go  out  of  your  house, 
follow  the  road  to  the  home  of  a  friend,  open  the  door, 
walk  in,  look  around,  take  notice  of  what  you  see  or  what 
you  think  you  see ;  then  return  in  the  same  manner,  wake 
up  from  your  abstracted  state,  notice  the  time,  write  down 
where  you  have  been  and  what  you  observed,  or,  as  it  is 
sometimes  put,  ‘seemed  to  see,’  and  on  the  first  oppor¬ 
tunity  make  inquiries  to  ascertain  if  your  recorded  experi¬ 
ences  harmonize  with  the  facts.  At  first  you  should  only 


284 


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try  to  go  a  little  distance  and  to  intimate  friends,  and  when 
you  have  succeeded  with  them  you  may  try  to  go  further 
afield. 

As  every  human  being  is  encircled  by  a  luminous  auric 
emanation,  you  may  try  to  observe  this,  and  you  will 
"probably  find  that  it  varies  in  color  with  different  people, 
and  with  the  same  person  at  different  times.  It  may  ap¬ 
pear  grey,  blue,  red,  white,  or  golden.  ‘The  intensity  of 
these  colors  varies  in  proportion  to  the  intensity  of  the 
desires  of  the  individual.  In  evillv_  disposed  persons  the 
dark  emanations  preponderate ;  in  those  who  are  better 
disposed,  the  light  colors  are  predominant.’ 

You  may  sit  in  the  dark  or  in  the  light,  with  your 
eyes  shut  or  with  them  open,  by  yourself  or  in  company 
with  others  in  a  circle;  you  may  seek  to  render  your  mind 
a  blank  and  be  passive  and  receptive,  or  you  may  think 
and  visualize  as  clearly  as  you  are  able ;  you  may  breathe 
deeply,  slowly  or  rapidly,  or  you  may  almost  suspend  res¬ 
piration  to  induce  a  quiescent  condition ;  you  may  invoke 
Divine  aid,  or  evoke  certain  spirits ;  you  may  fast,  or  you 
may  use  stimulants  or  narcotics,  as  did  the  ‘ancients’  (al¬ 
though  we  strongly  deprecate  the  latter  course),  for  all 
these  methods  and  others  have  been  successfully  employed 
by  different  people  to  induce  the  necessary  conditions  for 
the  liberation  and  exercise  of  these  ‘gifts’;  but  the  object 
underlying  them  all  is  the  same,  viz.,  to,  in  a  sense,  induce 
a  somnambulic  or  trance  state,  or  a  species  of  self-hypno¬ 
tism,  so  far  as  the  outer  phases  of  consciousness  of  sensa¬ 
tions  are  concerned,  and  liberate  the  inner  or  spirit  self, 
that  it  may  function  and  express  itself  upon  the  soul  side 
of  your  nature,  and  transfer  the  perceptions  of  the  verities 
of  the  inner  world  to  the  outer  consciousness,  so  that  you 
may  live  in  both  worlds  at  one  and  the  same  time,  instead 
of  being  shut  in  to  the  sense-world. 

Remember  that  while  the  process  of  visualizing  is  help¬ 
ful  and  stimulative,  tending  to  induce  psychical  activity 
and  to  set  free  the  perceptive  powers,  it  is  not  independent 
spirit  sight — that  is,  you  only  perceive  what  you  yourself 
originate  and  not  what  exists  on  the  spirit  plane.  You 
should  sometimes  refrain  altogether  from  visualizing,  and 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


285 


mentally  request  your  spirit  friends  to  try  to  make  their 
presence  known  to  you  by  vision,  independent  of  your  own 
efforts. 

You  may  possibly  find  that  although  you  are  not  nat¬ 
urally  clairvoyant,  and  even  fail  to  induce  the  ‘superior 
condition’  by  these  experiments,  yet  you  may  become 
sleepy  and  feel  that  you  are  unable  to  keep  awake,  anct  Jjy 
yielding  to  the  inclination  to  doze  you  may  be  in  reality 
passing  under  the  influence  of  some  spirit  who  may  de¬ 
velop  your  sensitiveness,  so  that  you  will  become  clair¬ 
voyant,  clalrauciient,  or  psychometric-ally  impressionable. 
Your  vision  may  open  upon  the  spiritual  plane,  and  ^spirit 
visitants  may  make  themselves  visible  to  you,  so  that  by 
describing  their  appearance  to  others,  recognition  may  be 
obtained. 

'  Tests  of  spirit  identity  may  be  forthcoming  as  the  re¬ 
sult  of  your  observation  of  their  peculiarities  of  personal 
appearance,  characteristic  gestures,  etc.,  and  too,  you  may 
receive  ‘impressions’  from  them,  or  they  may  speak  to  your 
inner  ear,  and  enable  you  to  give  messages  to  their  friends. 
No  amount  of  ‘visualizing’  will  create  those  spirit  appear¬ 
ances,  and  for  this  phase  of  clairvoyance  you  will  need  to 
sit  quietly  and  endeavor  to  open  your  spirit  eyes  and 
await  the  coming  of  spirit  people;  or  you  may  perceive 
scenes  in  the  spirit  world,  and  certain  localities  there  will 
become  familiar  to  you. 

Pictures  or  symbols  are  sometimes  thrown  up  by  spirit 
operators  before  the  psychical  vision  of  sensitives,  and 
even  though  you  may  be  a  natural  clairvoyant  you  may 
find  that  your  powers  are  increased  and  intensified  by 
spirit  co-operation. 

It  may  be  that  you  will  find  your  clairvoyant  faculties 
become  active  before  you  fall  asleep  at  night,  or  while  you 
are  asleep.  Many  sensitives  affirm  that  they  leave  their 
bodies  and  travel  in  spirit  through  space  to  distant  places 
nn  earth  or  to  scenes  in  the  spirit  world.  Many  so-called 
dreams  are  in  reality  clairvoyant  visions,  and  are  fre¬ 
quently  of  a  prophetic  nature;  and  symbols  are  often  em¬ 
ployed  to  convey  to  the  outer  consciousness  the  warning 
which  friends  in  spirit  life  are  anxious  to  impart  to  their 


2  86 


A  Guide  to  Medhmiship 


loved  0110s  on  this  side.  If  you  should  experience  any  such 
intimations  of  watchful  care  from  the  other  side,  receive 
them  thankfully,  but  use  your  own  judgment  regarding 
them 

HOW  TO  BECOME  A  HEALER. 

If  you  wish  to  ascertain  whether  you  possess  healing 
power  you  should  endeavor  to  give  relief  to  those  of  your 
friends  and  acquaintances  who  suffer  from  bruises  or 
strains ;  or  headache,  neuralgia,  toothache,  or  other  ner¬ 
vous  ailments.  It  is  unnecessary  for  you  to  exercise  your 
will  in  giving  magnetic  treatment;  a  kindly,  benevolent, 
and  sympathetic  desire  to  help  and  heal,  allied  to  your 
psychic  force  or  healing  ‘virtue.’  will  prove  efficacious  if 
you  possess  the  natural  temperamental  qualifications.  By 
‘  laying  on T  your  hands  for  the  purpose  of  healing  you  will 
soon  find  that  your  vital  force,  or  ‘magnetic’  power,  con¬ 
centrates  in  and  permeates  them.  The  healer’s  hands  are 
generally  soft  and  cushiony ;  they  readily  fill  with  blood 
and  become  warm  and  velvety,  and  you  will  probably  ex¬ 
perience  a  peculiar  sensation  of  fulness,  as  though  they  are 
‘charged’  with  power. 

The  right  hand  is  said  to  be  positive  and  the  left  nega¬ 
tive,  and  by  laying  your  hands  upon  the  patient  you  form 
liTcircuit,  with  his  body  as  the  point  of  contact  between 
Them.  Mr.  James  Coates  says:*  ‘No  mechanical  drill 
will  make  a  healer.  As  the  hearty,  spontaneous  handshake 
of  a  trusty  friend  invigorates,  causing  a  warm  glow  of 
pleasure  and  happiness  to  spread  over  the  entire  body ;  so 
will  the  hearty,  vigorous  conditions  of  mind  in  the  healer 
give  effect  to  iiis  passes  and  manipulations,  rather  than  by 
placing  his  hands  “so,  so.”  on  “such  and  such  places.” 
Still,  if  there  is  any  virtue  in  “ zones  hypnotices,”  then 
there  are  localized  spots  on  the  human  body  more^sensl- 
tive  to  magnetic  influence  than  others;  and  by  the  laying 
TrTTiiF  hands,  or  making  passes  over  these  regions,. speedier 
and  more  lasting  effects  are  obtained  than  by.  working  away 
fn  the  dark  and  healing  by  guesswork.’ 


*  ‘Human  Mn?netism.’ 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


287 


In  olden  times  all  good  housewives  were  expected  to 
understand  ‘simples,’  anti  to  be  able  to  deal  successfully 
with  all  minor  ‘hurts’  or  accidents,  and  in  these  times  the 
heads  of  households  should  at  least  understand  how  to  em¬ 
ploy  ‘magnetic’  treatment,  so  that  by  the  ‘laying  on  of 
hands’  they  may  relieve  minor  pains  and  ailments,  even  if 
they  are  unable  to  cope  with,  and  cure,  more  serious  ill¬ 
nesses.  The  mother  who  rubs  the  bruised  knee  of  her  child 
unconsciously  gives  it  magnetic  treatment,  and  when  she 
“kisses  the  place  to  make  it  well,’  when  the  little  one 
bumps  its  head  or  hurts  its  linger,  she  adopts  the  ‘mind 
cure’  without  understanding  that  fact ;  but  it  would  surely 
be  better  if  she  knew  how  to  direct  her  power  and  employ 
the  full  force  of  her  sympathy  to  relieve  the  little  sufferer. 

For  most  ordinary  treatments  you  should  sit  in  front 
of  your  patient,  take  his  hands  in  yours  and  hold  them 
for  a  few  minutes.  You  may  engage  him  in  pleasant  con¬ 
versation  or  direct  him  to  be  calm  and  easy  and  expectant. 
You  should  then  proceed,  according  to  the  nature  of  his  ail¬ 
ments  and  your  impressions  regarding  him,  to  either  make 
slow,  steady,  soothing,  and  equalizing  passes  in  front  of 
him,  from  the  top  of  the  head  downwards  to  the  solar  plexus 
(or  ‘pit  of  the  stomach’)  *  and  then  outwards,  returning 
the  hands  to  the  head  with  the  palms  downwards  and  re¬ 
peating  the  pass,  and  alternating  with  passes  from  the  top 
of  the  head  down  over  the  ears  and  shoulders,  along  the 
arms  and  off  at  the  finger-tips — either  without  contact  or 
barely  touching  him ;  or  else  you  should  go  behind  him  and 
make  similar  passes  from  the  top  of  his  head  down  the 
spine.  At  the  conclusion  of  each  pass  shake  your  hands  as 
if  you  are  throwing  something  off  the  ends  of  your  fingers, 
and  you  should  wash  your  hands  both  before  and  after 
each  treatment. 

For  headache  or  neuralgia  stand  in  front  of  the  suf¬ 
ferer,  and  make  a  few  passes  with  your  right  hand  across 
his  brows  from  left  to  right,  barely  touching  the  skin,  hold¬ 
ing  his  right  hand  with  your  left.  Or,  place  both  your 

*  The  ‘Zoist’  says  that  the  solar  plexus  is  a  great  uerve  centre — 
so  important  that  it  has  heen  called  the  ‘abdominal  brain.’ 


288 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


hands  lightly  on  the  top  of  his  head  and  slowly  bring  them 
forward  till  the  tips  of  your  fingers  are  just  above  the  root 
of  the  nose;  then  separate  your  hands,  passing  them  over 
the  forehead  just  above  the  brows,  across  the  temples,  over 
and  down  behind  the  ears,  and  off  at  the  shoulders.  Or, 
stand  behind  the  patient  and  lay  your  hands  lightly  on  his 
forehead  for  two  or  three  minutes,  then  draw  them  back 
across  the  temples,  over  the  ears,  and  off  down  the  spine. 
Or,  stand  at  his  right  side,  place  your  right  hand  on  his 
forehead  and  your  left  at  the  base  of  the  brain,  just  above 
the  nape  of  the  neck;  hold  his  head  between  your  hands 
thus  for  several  minutes,  then  make  slow  and  gentle  passes 
down  the  spine,  keeping  your  right  hand  still,  following 
with  downward  passes  with  both  hands.  A  few  full-length 
equalizing  passes  from  head  to  toe  should  be  used  to  con¬ 
clude  most  treatments. 

For  lung  troubles  you  should  place  your  right  hand 
upon  the  chest  and  the  left  upon  the  spine  between  the 
shoulders,  and  hold  them  thus  for  some  few  minutes;  then 
make  downward  passes  from  the  top  of  the  head  along  the 
spine,  keeping  the  right  hand  in  position  upon  the  chest, 
or  slowly  moving  it  downwards  to  cover  the  solar  plexus. 

For  stomach  troubles  proceed  in  a  similar  way,  but  put 
the  right  hand  over  the  region  of  the  stomach  and  the  left 
hand  opposite  to  it  over  the  spine.  Treat  the  liver  or  the 
kidneys  in  a  similar  manner.  You  may  in  addition  employ 
the  warming  and  stimulating  treatment  of  insufflations. 

Take  a  clean,  large-size  pocket-handkerchief,  fold  it  so 
that  you  have  not  less  than  four  or  more  than  six  thick¬ 
nesses,  lay  it  over  the  part  affected,  draw  in  your  breath 
through  your  nostrils,  apply  your  lips  to  the  handkerchief, 
and  then  slowly  but  penetratingly  exhale  the  breath ;  repeat 
this  process  for  some  minutes,  say  from  five  to  ten.  Do  not 
strain  yourself,  there  is  no  need  to  blow  hard.  Never  use 
the  handkerchief  for  more  than  one  treatment  without  its 
being  washed.  Bandages  can  be  magnetized  in  this  way. 

You  should  not  seek  to  dominate  or  control  your  pa¬ 
tient,  but  you  may  strive  to  arouse  his  forces;  stimulate 
and  strengthen  his  nervous  system,  and  thus  assist  Nature 
"m  her  efforts  to  expel'  the  poisonous  elements  that  have 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


289 


accumulated  in  his  system,  impeding  its  ordinary  func¬ 
tional  activity,  and  setting  up  inflammation,  congestion, 
fever,  or  other  diseased  conditions.  You  probably  possess 
the  power  to  modify,  if  you  cannot  wholly  regulate,  the 
action  of  his  vital  energies;  and  he  can  help  yon  by  being 
calm  and  hopeful,  and  by  breathing  deeply;  and  you,  too, 
should  practice  deep  breathing,  as  full,  rhythmic,  con¬ 
scious  respiration  tends  to  equalize  the  flow  of  magnetic 
power  to  the  blood,  arouses  the  nervous  system,  and  har¬ 
monizes  the  inner  and  outer  forces  of  soul  and  body.  It  is 
a  natural  stimulant  which  produces  a  sense  of  exhilara¬ 
tion,  and  acts  as  a  tonic  to  both  body  and  mind. 

You  will  find  that  the  proper  mental  attitude  in  your 
patient  is  just  as  important  as  in  your  own.  If  you  are  to 
help  him,  he  must  also  help  himself.'  If  he  has  confidence 
in  you  and  expects  good  results;  if  he  is  mentally  and 
psychically  receptive,  your  work  will  be  easier  and  the  ef¬ 
fects  more  enduring,  and  while  you  do  your  utmost  to  give 
him  relief  and  restore  him  to  health,  you  should  urgb  upon 
him  the  necessity  for  the  discontinuance  of  those  habits  or 
jnodes  of  living  which  have  caused  his  sufferings.  Unless 
he  is  willing  to  intelligently  co-operate  and  second  your  ef¬ 
forts  by  affording  good  mental  conditions,  and  living  the 
life,  why  should  you  expend  your  vital  energies  to  lift  him 
to  healthy  conditions  only  to  see  him  revert  to  the  old  prac¬ 
tices  and  fall  back  to  the  diseased  state  from  which  you 
vainly  rescued  him  ? 

In  ordinary  magnetic  treatment  it  is  unnecessary  to 
attempt  to  throw  your  patient  into  a  state  of  trance,  or 
hypnotic  sleep,  or  to  give  him  ‘suggestions’  and  make  him 
subservient  to  your  will  or  directions:  but  as  sound  sleep 
is  restorative,  nerve-building,  and  healthful,  and  you  may 
sometimes  have  cases — of  insomnia,  for  instance — in  which 
it  will  be  advisable  to  induce  natural  slumber,  you  will 
find  that  slow,  soothing,  full-length  passes  within  a  few 
inches  of  your  patient,  but  without  touching  him,  will  gen¬ 
erally  prove  effective.  But  before  attempting  to  induce 
sleep  von  should  always  obtain  your  patient’s  consent.  Af¬ 
ter  explaining  why  it  is  desirable,  and  placing  him  in  an 
easy,  restful  position,  you  may  gpntlv  suggest  to  him  that 


290 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

lie  is  going  to  sleep,  and  will  awake  refreshed,  but  do  not 
exercise  any  will-force  to  secure  the  result  desired.  Should 
your  patient  be  one  of  the  opposite  sex,  your  own  com¬ 
mon-sense,  and  ordinary  courtesy,  will  indicate  the  advisa¬ 
bility  of  the  presence  of  a  sympathetic  friend  of  the  suf¬ 
ferer.  To  diagnose  the  conditions  of  your  patient  and  as¬ 
certain  the  causes  of  his  sufferings,  you  should  sit  before 
him  holding  his  hands,  and  wait  to  see  if  by  community 
of  sensation,  or  by  sympathetic  transference,  you  can  feel 
the  pains  that  affect  him,  and  trace  them  to  their  source, 
or  clairvoyantly  perceive  the  state  of  the  organs  of  his 
body.  As,  however,  you  cannot  expect  to  immediately  suc¬ 
ceed,  and  may  make  mistakes,  you  should  experiment  in 
this  way,  mostly  for  your  own  development,  until  you  can 
rely  upon  your  perceptions,  and  in  all  eases  you  must  ex¬ 
ercise  your  own  discretion  as  to  how  much  or  how  little 
you  tell  your  patient  regarding  his  condition 

It  will  be  unwise  for  you  to  attempt  to  heal  chronic 
ailments  or  serious  cases  of  disease  until  your  healing  force 
is  well  developed  and  you  have  acquired  the  power  of  con¬ 
centration.  Be  careful  that  you  do  not  undertake  too 
mucIT.  J^Iany  kindhearted  healers  have  injured  themselves 
by  attempting  to  cure  others  when  they  themselves  were 
exhausted. 

We  strongly  deprecate  the  practice  of  giving  prescrip¬ 
tions,  herbal  or  otherwise,  unless  the  healer  possesses  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  properties  of  herbs  and  their  suitability  to  the 
patient ;  or  unless  such  prescriptions  are  submitted  to  a 
competent  practitioner  who  does  understand  their  nature 
and  use.  We  have  heard,  and  known,  of  patients  being 
recommended  to  take  the  strangest  medley  of  herbal  ‘reme¬ 
dies,’  which,  if  the  directions  had  been  followed,  would 
have  been  injurious,  if  not  fatal,  in  their  effect ;  but  we 
have  also  known  of  instances  in  which  herbal  and  other  pre¬ 
scriptions,  associated  with  magnetic  treatment,  have  been 
remarkably  beneficial. 

The  foregoing  suggestions  will,  we  trust,  assist  you  in 
the  commencement  of  your  work  as  a  healer,  and  if  you 
are  observant  you  will  soon  discover  the  best  course  to  fol¬ 
low  ;  or  you  will  probably  be  impelled  by  your  own  psy- 


A  Guide  io  Mediumship  291 

chometrical  intuitions,  or  by  spirit  guidance,  in  your  meth¬ 
ods  of  treatment. 

If  you  are  mediumistic  you  will  most  likely  find  that 
your  hands  will  move,  seemingly  of  their  own  accord,  and 
if  you  let  them  go,  they  will  either  rest  upon,  or  make 
passes  over,  the  afflicted  spot  or  organ  of  your  patient’s 
body,  and  you  will  realize  that  a  spirit  is  acting  upon  and 
through  you,  and  directing  their  movements.  It  will  be 
well  for  you  to  remember  that  the  spiritual  magnetic  healer 
should  be  passive,  serene,  confident,  and  aspirational,  and 
cultivate  the  ability  to  psychometrically  sense  the  need  of 
his  patient.  He  may  even  temporarily  ‘take  on’  the  condi¬ 
tions  of  the  sufferer  himself — like  as  it  is  said  of  a  healer 
of  old  that  ‘He  bare  our  infirmities  in  His  own  body.’  You 
should  expect,  aspire  for,  and  will  doubtless  receive,  the  as¬ 
sistance  of  wise  healing  spirits,  and  the  more  you  realize, 
trust,  and  openly  acknowledge  your  indebtedness  to  min¬ 
istering  angels,  the  more  powerful  for  good  will  you  be. 

MENTAL  HEALING. 

The  ‘New  Thought’  movement  emphasizes  the  fact  that 
by  the  exercise  of  thought-power  each  one  can  form  his 
own  character  and  secure  his  own  health  and  happiness. 
Tf  a  man  should  say,  ‘  I  wish  I  were  healthy,  strong,  suc¬ 
cessful  and  happy,’  you  might  respond,  ‘How  much  do 
you  wish  it?’  If  you  sincerely,  unreservedly  wish  it,  you 
may — nay,  you  will — be  all  that  you  really  desire  to  be. 
The  power  is  in  yourself;  you  alone  can  change  your  at¬ 
titude  and  do  what  is  necessary,  and  the  first  step  is  to  be¬ 
lieve  in  yourself.  If  you  must  have  an  ‘authority,’  and 
need  outside  help,  go  to  some  teacher — read  some  stimulat¬ 
ing  book — but  sooner  or  later  you  must  come  to  the  point  of 
being  your  own  authority. 

The  objection  is  often  made  that,  ‘When  a  man  is  suf¬ 
fering  he  grows  weak  and  dispirited;  and,  consequently, 
when  he  needs  it  most,  he  has  the  least  power  to  control 
his  will-force  and  become  mentally  positive.’  Here,  then, 
is  the  opportunity  for  the  Mental  Healer  who  gives  his  pa¬ 
tient  helpful  affirmative  health  suggestions  and  teaches 


292 


A  Guide  to  Mc'diumship 

him  to  help  himself.  *  Undoubtedly  right  thinking  will 
lead  to  right  living,  and  will  eventually  render  the  work 
of  the  healer  unnecessary,  but  not  until  worry,  anger,  and 
fear-thought  are  overcome,  and  the  spirit  of  goodness  and 
love  reigns  supreme — a  consummation  devoutly  to  be 
wished ! 

HOW  TO  BREATHE  DEEPLY. 

The  reason  for  deep  breathing  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
and  the  following  beneficial  results  be  pleasantly  antici¬ 
pated,  viz.,  the  building  up  of  life  tissues  throughout  the 
body — especially  the  strengthening  and  restoration  of  any 
weak  or  deranged  organs — the  stimulation  of  the  brain 
functions  into  normal  and  vigorous  operation,  the  purifica¬ 
tion  of  the  blood  and  toning  up  of  the  nerves,  the  increase 
of  magnetic  life-forces  with  augmented  thought-power  and 
will-ability,  together  with  clearer  conceptions  and  more 
cheerful  views  regarding  life  and  its  purposes,  and  the 
general  opening  up  of  the  psychical  avenue  of  perception. 

Ordinarily  we  seldom  do  more  than  use  half  our  lung 
capacity,  and  the  cells  are  permitted  to  retain  vitiated  air, 
or  to  wither  away  from  neglect.  We  must  regulate  our 
breathing,  and  send  the  pure  air  into  every  cell,  so  that 
the  blood  will  receive  the  virtue  of  the  sunshine,  the  oxy¬ 
gen,  and  the  ether,  and  go  coursing  throughout  the  system 
with  power  to  build  up  the  tissues  and  give  strength  to 
brain  and  nerve.  For  this  purpose  you  must  consciously 
operate  and  control  the  movements  of  the  abdomen.  The 
air  must  be  sent  right  down  into  the  most  remote  cells, 

*  ‘We  will  give  a  sample  mental  treatment :  “You  wish  to  be 
well,  and  because  you  wish  to  be  well,  I  suggest  to  you  that  you  are 
well.  I  put  my  will  in  harmony  with  yours.  I  put  my  thought  in 
harmony  with  your  intention.  I  say  unto  you,  you  can  express 
health,  you  can  express  that  full  measure  of  health  you  desire  to 
express,  that  which  you  desire  to  do  being  good,  upright  and  hon¬ 
orable,  that  you  can  do.  Suggestive  treatment  is  to  assist  you  to 
do  your  own  work  perfectly,  not  to  control  you  but  to  liberate  you. 
not  to  enslave  your  will  but  to  emancipate  it  from  thraldom.” » 
W.  J.  Colville. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  293 

and  to  make  room  for  it  the  expansion  should  be  at  the 
waist.  Hold  the  muscles  tense  in  this  extended  condition, 
and  then  slowly  exhale,  at  the  same  time  indrawing  the 
abdomen,  so  as  to  assist  in  expelling  the  whole  of  the  air. 
The  shoulders  should  not  be  lifted  in  the  s'ightest,  but  the 
Avails  of  the  chest  should  be  elevated.  It  is  not  only  by 
drawing  in  deep  breaths  that  benefit  is  secured,  but  by 
the  proper  and  systematic  expulsion  of  the  air,  and  in  con¬ 
sequence  of  this  exercise  the  lung  cells  are  strengthened 
and  nourished  and  after  a  time  expand  even  more  fully 
than  before. 

Avoid  strain.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry.  Stop  if  you  feel 
the  slightest  .symptom  of  pain  or  giddiness.  Slow  and 
sure  should  be  your  motto. 

Mind  and  body  must  co-operate;  every  breath  should 
be  consciously  and  intentionally  draAvn. 

The  mouth  must  be  closed,  and  the  air  indraAvn  slowly 
and  steadily  through  the  nosti’ils. 

These  exercises  shoidd  be  practiced  in  the  open  air  or 
by  an  open  window;  they  need  not  be  prolonged;  a  few 
minutes  at  certain  times  each  day  Avill  suffice  at  the  outset, 
and  the  length  of  each  inhalation  and  exhalation  should 
be  timed. 

Stand  Avith  heels  together,  arms  at  the  side,  palms  in  or 
hands  easily  closed,  shoulders  squared  or  throAxm  slightly 
back,  head  erect,  eyes  level,  body  straight  but  inclined 
slightly  forAvard. 

Breathe  steadily  and  deeply,  counting  slowly  one  to 
seven.  Hold  the  breath  for  several  seconds,  say,  five  or 
seven,  then  steadily  and  sIoavIv  exhale,  counting  one  to 
seven  as  before.  This  will  probably  be  a  little  trying  at 
first — especially  so  to  keep  it  up  regularly,  say,  for  three 
or  five  minutes, — but  persevere ;  it  becomes  easier  Avith 
repetition.  Still,  if  you  feel  that  you  must  have  a  change, 
take  one  or  two  quick  breaths,  or  sniff  the  air  as  you  would 
do  if  you  thought  you  smelt  fire. 

Here  is  another  method  that  is  recommended.  Lie  flat 
upon  your  back  and  relax  all  the  muscles  so  that  the  whole 
body  is  limp.  The  clothing  should  be  loose  and  com¬ 
fortable.  Think  about  what  you  are  doing,  and  desire  to 


294  ,  A  Guide  io  Mediumsliip 

draw  the  life  forces  to  yourself  from  the  air  you  breathe. 
After  silent  meditation  and  aspiration  for  a  few  minutes, 
commence  to  draw  long  and  deep  inspirations,  counting 
eight  seconds  while  doing  so ;  hold  the  breath  steadily  while 
you  count  eight,  and  then  slowly  exhale  while  you  count 
eight.  This  process  should  not  be  continued  for  more  than 
ten  minutes  consecutively,  or  more  than  three  times  a  day, 
nor  immediately  after  a  meal.  As  the  unwonted  exercise 
and  increased  supply  of  oxygen  are  likely  to  have  a  stimu¬ 
lating,  probably  exhilarating  effect,  you  will  require  to  be 
cautious,  not  to  overdo  it  at  first.  The  frequency  of  the 
‘set’  practice  and  the  length  of  time  given  to  the  inhala¬ 
tion,  holding,  and  expelling  of  the  breath,  can  be  in¬ 
creased  as  time  and  practice  enable  you  to  become  accus¬ 
tomed  to,  and  benefited  by,  the  effects ;  but  always  bear  in 
mind  that  the  object  to  be  aimed  at  is  more  full,  regular, 
and  powerful  breathing  all  the  time. 

Deep  breathing  can  be  practiced  when  you  awake  in 
the  morning,  at  intervals  during  the  day,  when  you  have 
two  or  three  spare,  quiet  minutes ;  and  when  you  lie  down 
to  sleep  relax  every  muscle,  compose  your  mind,  dismiss 
your  cares  and  anxious  thoughts,  suggest  to  yourself  that 
you  are  to  enjoy  restful  and  refreshing  slumber;  take  slow, 
regular,  and  full  inhalations,  and  let  yourself  calmly  and 
serenely  fall  asleep,  making  your  claim  upon  the  Foun¬ 
tain  of  all  Life  for  renewal,  in  loving  confidence  that  balmy 
sleep  will  indeed  be  a  ‘restorer/ 


A  Guide  to  Mediumshiv 


2  93 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  SPIRITUAL  SIGNIFICANCE. 

God  hath  been  gradually  forming  man 
In  His  own  image  since  the  world  began, 

And  is  for  ever  working  on  his  soul, 

Like  sculptor  on  his  statue,  till  the  whole 
Expression  of  the  upward  life  be  wrought 
Into  some  semblance  of  the  Eternal  thought. 

Race  after  race  hath  caught  the  likeness  of 
The  Maker,  as  the  eyes  grew  large  with  love. 

— Gerald  Massey. 

All  growth  requires  at  least  semi-seclusion,  partial 
darkness,  silence;  then  the  soul  itself  becomes  passive  as 
the  surface  of  an  unrippled  lake,  and  draws  from  the  great 
infinite  reservoir  of  life  refreshing  dews,  which  refill  it  with 
those  precious  elements  that  the  daily  wear  of  this  world 
so  readily  exhausts.  .  .  Let  me  assure  you  that  in  the 
depth  of  your  own  inner  life  there  is  a  fountain  of  in¬ 
spiration  and  wisdom,  tvhich,  if  sought  aright,  will  yield 
you  more  abundant  satisfaction  than  any  simple  cup  of 
living  water  which  I,  or  any  other  individual,  can  place 
to  your  lips. — M.  K. 

We  have  seen  that  mediumship  is  perfectly  natural,  and 
that  it  is  dependent  upon  extreme  psychical  sensitiveness, 
which  is  itself  an  attribute  and  evidence  of  man’s  spiritual 
nature  and  capabilities,  and  that  the  manifestations  of  ex- 
earnate  spirits  through  the  agency  of  mediums  demonstrate 
the  continued  conscious  existence  of  mankind  beyond  the 
comb.  We  have  also  seen  that  psychical  susceptibility  can 


296  A  Guide  to  Mcdiumsluv 

be  cultivated  and  consciously  exercised  by  those  sensitives 
who  are  willing  to  devote  the  necessary  time  and  study  to 
the  task,  so  that,  philosophically,  phenomenally,  and  psy¬ 
chically,  we  have  proofs  of  man ’s  spiritual  nature  here  and 
of  his  survival  ‘on  the  other  side.’ 

Dr.  J.  M.  Peebles  has  well  said  that:  ‘Spiritual  me- 
diumship  is  the  crown  of  all  man’s  finer  forces.  There  is 
nothing  supernatural  in  it.  Mediums  are  natural  sensi¬ 
tives  ;  psychically  considered  they  stand  upon  the  mountain 
Tops  and  catch  the  first  sunbeams  of  truth.  They  are  the 
hyphens,  conscious  and  unconscious,  connecting  the  seen 
with  the  unseen  realms  of  immortalized  intelligences.’ 

That  the  exercise  of  psychical  or  spiritual  ‘  gifts  ’  is  im¬ 
portant  and  desirable  is  apparent  to  the  thoughtful  stu¬ 
dent,  even  in  the  limited  sphere  of  their  mediumistic  mani¬ 
festation,  but  when  we  recognize  that  all  culture  results 
from,  and  is  the  expression  of,  man’s  spiritual  potencies, 
and  that  the  inward,  spiritual  or  religious  life  is  the  high¬ 
est  form  of  his  psychical  activity,  we  shall  realize  how 
necessary  it  is  that  this  subject  should  be  studied,  and 
these  powers  elicited  and  expressed  in  orderly  fashion  by 
Avise  and  enlighfented  sensitives. 

Intuition — the  power  of  direct  perception — is  on  the 
spiritual  plane  what  instinct  is  on  the  physical,  but  it  is 
frequently  difficult  to  differentiate  it  from  unrestrained 
desire — in  which  ‘the  wish  becomes  father  to  the  thought.’ 
So,  too,  Imagination — the  wonderful  faculty  possessed  by 
the  inner  self  of  picturing,  originating,  and  forming  on  the 
subjective  plan — unless  it  is  trained  and  intelligently  ex¬ 
ercised  may  involve  its  possessors  in  many  difficulties;  it 
is  necessary,  therefore,  to  proceed  with  extreme  caution  and 
to  maintain  one’s  balance.  Heart  and  head,  to  use  familiar 
terms,  must  cooperate  and  supplement  each  other,  so  that 
rationalism  may  be  religious  and  religion  rational,  and  in 
the  cultured  intuitional  reason  we  shall  have  the  combina¬ 
tion  of  qualities  fitting  us  to  receive  the  highest  inspira¬ 
tions — to  become  the  embodied  expression  of  the  Divine 
Mind. 

The  development  of  mediumistic  sensitiveness  and  the 
cultivation  of  the  psychical  powers  of  psychometric  and 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 


297 


clairvoyant  perception  should  not  be  allowed  to  dominate 
one’s  thoughts  and  purposes,  or  occupy  all  one’s  time.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  life  has  its  daily  duties,  its  or¬ 
dinary  relationships  and  ‘practical’  responsibilities;  that 
true  development  is  the  harmonious,  all-round  cultivation 
and  exercise  of  one’s  powers — the  bringing  out  and  enjoy¬ 
ing  of  all  one’s  capabilities,  physically,  mentally,  morally, 
and  spiritually;  and  that  special  developments  are  dan¬ 
gerous  because  they  generally  mean  imperfect  development 
and  weakness  in  other  directions.  The  cultivation  of 
psychic  power  is  not  everything;  the  development  of  sen¬ 
sitiveness  should  be  desired  rather  as  a  means  to  an  end 
than  as  ‘the  end  all  and  be  all’  of  life. 

The  power  which  the  spirit  possesses  to  break  its  bonds, 
when  it  can  control  conditions,  is  only  beginning  to  be 
faintly  realized,  and  its  creative  ability  (snail  we  say?), 
when  positive,  affirmative  thoughts  are  conceived  and  pro¬ 
jected  into  the  great  thought-realm  (where  they  can  be  per¬ 
ceived  and  realized  by  those  who  are  in  sympathy  with  the 
ideas  or  purposes  that  are  expressed),  is  a  theme  for  many 
a  scientific  discourse — and  many  a  sermon  ! 

When  a  drop  of  water,  used  upon  a  patient  under  hyp¬ 
notic  influence,  can,  by  suggestion,  be  made  to  produce  a 
blister,  who  shall  deny  the  power  of  thought  over  the  se¬ 
cretions  of  the  body?  The  subject  is  tempting,  but  we 
must  stay  our  hands,  save  in  so  far  as  it  indicates  the 
ability  which  we  all  possess  to  govern  and  regulate  our 
lives — even  to  the  maintenance  of  physical  health,  mental 
vigor,  moral  force,  and  spiritual  strength — especially  so  as 
regards  the  control  of  the  kind  of  thoughts  and  feeMngs 
that  Ave  entertain.  It  is  true  that  Ave  may  not  be  able  to 
prevent  the  intrusion  of  unwelcome,  pessimistic,  or  distaste¬ 
ful  thoughts  and  feelings;  but  Ave  can  refuse  to  give  them 
lodging  and  entertainment,  and  substitute  other  and  more 
worthy  and  helpful  ones. 

‘The  inner  side  of  every  cloud 
Is  bright  and  shining. 

And  so  I  turn  my  clouds  about 
And  always  wear  them  inside  out, 

To  see  the  lining!’ 


298 


A  Guide  to  Mediumsliip 

The  fact  that  feelings  and  thoughts  can  be  Created  by 
ourselves  within  ourselves;  that  in  course  of  time  we  be¬ 
come  what  we  determine  we  will  be ;  that  the  power  for  self¬ 
culture,  self-expression,  and  self-realization  rests  and  abides 
within  us,  is  the  keynote  of  the  spiritual,  or  psychical,  gos¬ 
pel.  We  do  not  deny  that  environments  hamper  and  limit; 
that  education  and  misdirection  bind  and  enslave;  we  ad¬ 
mit  that  heredity  counts  for  a  great  deal;  but  we  do  say 
that  the  prime  fact,  and  factor,  amid  all  circumstances,  is 
the  man  himself.  He  is  the  center- stance — the  Deific  focus 
of  positive  energies  which  he  may  and  should  employ  con¬ 
sciously  and  with  intent  for  his  own  betterment. 

The  building  of  character,  consciously  and  purpose¬ 
fully,  not  so  much  in  a  line  with  temperamental  tendencies 
and  moods,  or  conventional  rules  and  requirements,  as  in 
strenuously  following  out  one’s  highest  ideals  of  right, 
purity,  honor,  and  truth ;  in  overcoming  bias  and  preju¬ 
dice,  and  rendering  loving  service  to  others,  is  no  easy 
task,  and  it  is  one  that  is  too  seldom  fully  undertaken ;  but 
it  will  be  in  this  direction  that  the  greatest  progress  will 
be  made  in  the  evolution  of  true  and  righteous  manhood 
and  womanhood. 

The  new  attitude  which  is  being  assumed  by  man 
towards  himself  is  perhaps  the  most  important  outcome  of 
Spiritualism  as  it  is  the  most  significant  and  hopeful  of 
the  tendencies  of  the  dawning  twentieth  century.  The  old 
cringing,  pessimistic,  self-depreciatory  ‘I  cannot’  concep¬ 
tions  are  rapidly  passing  away,  and  the  affirmative  gospel 
that  man  is  a  spiritual  being,  progressive  and  responsible, 
is  taking  its  place,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  educational 
value  of  the  ‘  discipline  of  pain  ’  which  teaches  us  to  cease 
to  do  evil  and  learn  to  do  well,  is  sending  us  faring  forth 
with  confident  spirits  to  learn  to  use  our  thought-power 
and  express  our  true  nature. 

We  now  realize  as  never  before  the  operation  of  the 
great  Law  of  Consequences :  that  we  reap  what  we  sow 
both  here  and  hereafter  and  that  reform  must  begin  in 
the  individual.  While  improvement  of  environments  and 
the  breaking  down  of  limitations  will  exert  a  beneficial  in¬ 
fluence  and  afford  ‘opportunity’  to  the  one  who  is  ready 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  299 

to  advance,  yet  the  real  and  permanent  upward  trend  will 
only  be  revealed  when  the  soul-self  is  awakened  and  domi¬ 
nates  as  a  moving,  moulding  force  in  the  ordering  of  life — 
for 

‘  ’Tis  the  set  of  a  soul 
That  decides  its  goal, 

And  not  the  calm  or  the  strife.’ 

‘Be  thyself’  is  the  Divine  command  that  is  written  in 
the  very  principles  of  our  being.  We  have  too  long  looked 
for  the  work  of  salvation  and  liberation  to  be  accom¬ 
plished  for  us,  not  by  us.  ‘Believe  and  be  saved’  instead 
of  ‘ Behave  and  be  saved’  has  been  dinned  into  us  until  we 
have  failed  to  realize  that  we  must  trust,  and  exercise,  the 
potency  of  our  own  spirits — the  Divine  Life  (Word)  dwell¬ 
ing  in  us — and  act  as  if  we  really,  honestly  and  fully  be¬ 
lieved  that  we  are  sons  of  the  living  God.  We  have  sold 
our  spiritual  heritage  for  a  ‘mess  of  pottage’  far  too  long 
and  have  supinely  bent  our  backs  to  the  enslavers.  But 
the  time  is  drawing  near  when  we  shall  be  free  men  and 
stand  erect  in  the  conscious  exercise  of  royal  powers, as  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  King.  There  is  no  miracle-worker  like  this 
wonderful  and  rational  faith  in  the  Soul ;  no  liberator  like 
the  love  of  all  that  is  true,  pure,  good,  and  beautiful ;  no 
Redeemer  so  powerful  as  knowledge  rightly  applied;  no 
Gospel  that  can  equal  the  glad  tidings  of  our  innate  Di¬ 
vinity,  our  immortal  heritage,  our  inherent  capacity  to  un¬ 
derstand  and  attune  ourselves  to  the  principles  of  life. 
‘As  many  as  do  the  will  of  God  they  are  the  sons  of  God.’ 

The  fact  that  man  is  a  center  of  deifie  possibilities, 
which  he  may  consciously  cultivate  and  express,  implies 
the  innate  divinity  of  every  human  being;  that  every  man 
is  related  to.  and  dependent  upon,  the  Supreme  Life;  that 
there  is  constant  influx  and  efflux;  that  the  radiations  from 
the  Infinite  Mind  circulate  throughout  the  Universe,  are 
immament  everywhere,  and  that  we  are  continually  bath¬ 
ing  in  the  atmosphere  of  Divine  Love,  breathing  it  un¬ 
consciously  ;  and  the  aura  of  the  All-Good  touches  us  at 
all  points. 


300 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

The  spirit  teachers  of  ‘M.  A.  (Oxon)  ’  wrote:  ‘This  is 
that  great  truth  of  which  we  have  before  spoken,  that  ye 
are  Gods,  in  that  ye  have  a  portion  of  that  all-pervading, 
all-informing  Spirit  which  is  the  manifestation  of  the 
Supreme,  the  indwelling  of  God.  ’ 

Our  outer-life  manifestation  is  but  a  fragmentary  ex¬ 
pression  of  what  we  are  in  reality ;  we  can  educe  our  pow¬ 
ers,  quicken,  strengthen,  and  intensify  our  consciousness, 
enlarge  our  sphere  of  influence  and  reveal  our  true  nature 
by  self-cultivation;  but  below  (or  within)  all  that  is 
evolved  lies  the  permanent  reality — the  spirit-self.  It  is 
difficult  to  realize  the  full  significance  of  that  fact;  but 
realization — sci/-realization  on  those  lines  is  the  key  of  in¬ 
terpretation  which  unlocks  all  mysteries,  even  that  of  god¬ 
liness — God  made  manifest  in  the  flesh,  not  of  one  man 
only,  but  of  all  men.  If  Ave  mistrust  ourselves  Ave  shoAV 
Avant  of  faith  in  the  Spirit  Divine;  for  no  man  can  truly 
trust  in  God  avIio  has  no  faith  in  himself  and  fails  to  realize 
that  the  fountain-head  of  poAver,  of  groAvth,  of  manifesta¬ 
tion,  is  within  himself,  and  that  all  things  which  exist  are 
expressions  of  the  poAver  Ave  call  ‘God.’  This  intuitive  con¬ 
sciousness  of  relation  to,  and  dependence  upon,  the  TJni- 
versal  Life  and  Love,  although  differing  according  to  the 
degree  of  spiritual  unfoldment  of  the  believer,  has  ever 
struggled  for  expression ;  and  back  of  and  above  all  creeds 
and  rituals  it  has  been  the  affirmative  impulse  attesting  the 
innate  spirituality  of  man. 

What  spirit  is  per  se  Ave  knoAAr  not,  but  Ave  do  knoAV  that 
we  are  self-conscious  beings,  and  that  all  our  knoAvledge  is 
simply  a  re-reading  of  the  pre-existing  principles  of  the 
universe.  As  thought  precedes  form,  and  as  the  building, 
machine,  instrument,  laAV,  creed,  and  hypothesis,  all  exist 
in  the  mind  before  they  are  expressed  in  one  form  or  an¬ 
other,  it  is  manifest  that  ideas  and  ideals  are  real  and  rule 
the  world.  We,  at  our  best,  are  the  interpreters  and  ex¬ 
ponents  of  the  Intelligence  which  is  at  the  back  of  and 
within  the  universe ;  its  law  and  its  life — the  inward  Spirit, 
of  whom  all  things  are  the  outward  and  visible  signs — the 
thought-forms  which  serve  to  disclose  as  well  as  to  hide 
Him  from  us. 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  301 

We  continually,  even  though  unwittingly,  receive  the 
beneficent  ministration  of  Light,  Life,  and  Love,  and  live, 
move,  and  have  our  being  in  the  aura  which  emanates  from 
the  Universal  Soul ;  but  when  we  become  conscious  of  this 
delightful  inter-relationship;  when  we  become  spiritually 
illumined,  attuned,  and  responsive,  and  can  clairvoyantly, 
clairaudiently,  or  psychometrically  perceive  and  realize  our 
own  Divine  potentialities  and  responsibilities,  our  royal  de¬ 
scent  and  godly  heritage,  our  whole  being  thrills  with  a 
new  sense  of  the  sanctity  of  life.  The  sacred  joy  of  being, 
the  keen  pleasure  we  experience  in  the  use  of  power,  and 
the  happy  serenity  which  possesses  us  as  we  rest  secure 
in  ‘the  Everlasting  Anns’  and  know  that  all  is  well,  can 
only  be  experienced — it  cannot  be  described  or  imparted; 
it  must  be  felt,  known,  and  enjoyed  to  be  comprehended. 
Our  soul-powers  can  best  be  realized  when  we  can  attain 
the  attitude  of  unselfish  love ;  of  mental  repose  and  serene 
quietude  of  spirit,  wherein,  while  desiring  illumination,  we 
can  confidently,  without  haste  and  without  rest,  lay  open 
the  placid  surface  of  our  spiritual  consciousness  to  the 
movings  of  the  Divine  informing  Life  and  Love. 

Helen  Keller,  the  blind,  deaf  mute,  won  her  way  to 
college,  but  realized  the  disadvantages  of  that  institution 
after  she  got  there.  She  said :  ‘  I  used  to  have  time  to  think, 
to  reflect — my  mind  and  I.  We  would  sit  together  of  an 
evening  and  listen  to  the  inner  melodies  of  the  spirit  which 
one  hears  only  in  leisure  moments,  when  the  words  of  some 
loved  poet  touch  a  deep,  sweet  chord  in  the  soul  that  has 
been  silent  until  then.  But  in  college  there  is  no  time 
to  commune  with  one’s  thoughts.  One  goes  to  college  to 
learn,  not  to  think,  it  seems.  When  one  enters  the  portals 
of  learning  one  leaves  the  dearest  pleasures — solitude, 
books,  and  imagination — outside  with  the  whispering  pines 
and  the  sun-lit,  odorous  woods.’ 

We  must  have  time  to  listen,  to  feel,  to  be  baptized 
and  inspired,  to  see.  and  understand,  and  respond,  and 
we  need  not  wonder  that  many  people  are  ‘going  into  the 
silence’  to  gain  insight,  strength  and  serenity.  With  un¬ 
rest,  anxiety,  and  sensationalism  the  mind  becomes  dis¬ 
turbed,  and,  like  water  stirred  from  its  depths  and  broken 


302 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship 

into  waves  upon  the  surface,  it  cannot  reflect  the  blue 
heavens;  it  can  only  give  back  broken  gleams  of  truth. 

‘Let  thy  soul  walk  softly  in  thee,  as  a  saint  in  heaven 

unshod, 

For  to  be  alone  with  silence,  is  to  be  alone  with  God.’ 

The  phenomena  connected  with  the  subtile  domain 
where  mind  and  matter  meet  require  the  nicest  discern¬ 
ment  and  most  unerring  intuition  for  their  correct  inter¬ 
pretation.  The  seen  and  the  unseen  worlds  are  so  in¬ 
timately  related  that  every  earnest  and  sincere  effort  put 
forth  on  this  side  for  self-culture,  control,  and  expression, 
and  for  the  good  of  othei's,  relates  us  to  like-minded  and 
loving  people  on  the  other  side  who  are,  by  our  aspira¬ 
tions,  enabled  to  respond  with  helpful  and  sustaining  in¬ 
fluences.  The  more  fully  this  is  realized  by  us  the  greater 
will  be  the  assistance  and  inspiration  that  we  shall  receive. 
As  Lizzie  Doten  says :  ‘  There  are  invisible  teachers  around 
you,  the  hem  of  whose  garment  I  am  unworthy  to  touch. 

‘  ‘  The  words  that  they  speak  unto  you — they  are  Spirit  and 
they  are  Life.”  In  order  to  know  more  yoix  must  be  more. 
Faith  strikes  its  roots  deep  in  the  spirit,  and  often  Intui¬ 
tion  is  a  safer  guide  than  Reason.  When  a  man,  by  con¬ 
stant  practice,  has  so  quickened  his  spiritual  perceptions 
that  he  can  receive  conscious  impressions  from  his  invisible 
attendants,  he  will  never  be  without  counsellors. 

‘Let  Faith  be  given 

To  the  still  tones  that  oft  our  being  waken— 

They  are  of  Heaven.’ 

‘The  spirit  world  is  not  so  distant  as  it  seems,  and  the 
veil  of  materiality  which  hides  it  from  our  view,  by  hope¬ 
ful  and  untiring  aspiration  can  be  rent  in  twain.  We  only 
need  to  listen  earnestly  and  attentively,  and  we  shall  soon 
learn  to  keep  step  in  the  grand  march  of  life  to  the  music 
of  the  upper  spheres.’ 

Communion  with  departed  loved  ones  and  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  psychical  susceptibility  will  fail  to  produce  their 
legitimate  effects,  if,  while  they  comfort,  enlighten,  and  in- 


A  Guide  to  Mediumship  303 

spire  us,  they  do  not  deepen  our  religious  convictions, 
sweeten  and  ennoble  our  characters,  broaden  our  sympa¬ 
thies,  and  kindle  a  deathless  light  in  the  inner  sanctuary  of 
our  consciousness  which  will  enable  us  to  do  better  work 
and  live  more  wisely  and  lovingly.  If  we  do  not  cultivate 
spirituality  and  serenity  of  soul,  how  can  we  expect  ex¬ 
alted  angels  to  minister  unto  us,  or  that  we  shall  have 
visions  of  the  glorious  land  beyond  the  mists  of  death? 

Spiritualism  helps  us  to  understand  the  ‘unity  of  the 
spirit’  and  the  ‘brotherhood  of  man’  in  the  divine  rela¬ 
tionship  wherein  the  greatest  among  us  is  the  servant  of 
all.  The  possession  of  great  gifts  is  an  added  respon¬ 
sibility.  We  are  only  stewards  of  our  powers  on  behalf 
of  others,  and  our  desire  to  gain  knowledge  and  influence 
should  be  vitalized  and  dignified  by  the  intention  to  use 
them  to  help,  teach,  and  serve  our  fellows,  and  in  such 
service  we  shall  ourselves  be  blest. 

‘We  are  each  and  all  another’s, 

We  can  never  stand  alone 
And  for  pain  or  wrong  inflicted 
We  must  every  one  atone. 

Let  us  feel  that  we  are  brothers, 

That  our  interests  are  one, 

We  shall  help  each  other  onward. 

And  the  will  of  God  be  done.’ 


The  End. 


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DUKE  UNIVERSITY 
LIBRARY 


DURHAM,  NORTH  CAROLINA 

27706 


